Automated high-content microscopy system

这项仪器的请求是由来自芒特艾利森大学的三名NSERC资助的研究人员提出的，他们研究了生物多样性物种中细胞的功能，包括海洋细菌和浮游植物、扁虱、同伴和农业动物、野生动物和人类。尽管它们的应用各不相同，但这些研究人员的共同重点是提高我们对细胞在自然环境中和暴露于环境应激源后发生的复杂生理过程的理解。这项应用是为了一种具有环境控制的最先进的显微镜，它将使研究人员能够严格控制细胞生长的环境，同时允许实时捕获细胞的高分辨率图像。这种自动化设备的可编程功能及其记录染色和未染色细胞图像的能力将使研究人员能够同时进行多种不同类型的测量。如果一张图片能表达千言万语，那么这种测量细胞功能变化的详细成像方法将提供无与伦比的途径，了解正在研究的复杂的细胞控制。其中一个研究实验室将使用这些尖端技术来识别人类细胞如何感知环境中的营养物质，以及这些营养物质对细胞新陈代谢、生长和功能的影响。这些研究集中在一大类细胞表面受体-G蛋白偶联受体，它们充当分子接收器，以糖、脂肪和蛋白质的形式检测细胞环境的变化，并将这些信号转化为维持健康细胞所需的分子反应。另一位研究人员将利用这台仪器研究具有生态重要性的浮游植物物种的生理学，以增加我们对这些重要生物如何将光和二氧化碳转化为氧气和能量(初级生产)、它们在海洋食物网中发挥的关键作用以及环境对生态系统中浮游植物生长和适应能力的影响的了解。在另一个实验室，学员将使用这种仪器研究感染细菌后在昆虫和动物细胞中建立的复杂关系。这些研究集中在表观遗传学领域，它描述了对DNA的各种修饰，这些修饰补充了我们的遗传密码中提供的指令，并极大地影响了细胞在正常和疾病条件下的功能。*所需的基础设施将使我们能够快速生成和分析来自任何生物体细胞的生物相关数据，从而极大地提高该地区这些和其他研究项目的能力。为这项申请提供资金将支持开发新的研究方法，为众多高素质人员提供尖端培训，并推动加拿大和国际多学科的研究。

This request for instrumentation is from three NSERC-funded researchers from Mount Allison University who study the function of cells across biologically diverse species including marine bacteria and phytoplankton, ticks, companion and agricultural animals, wildlife species, and humans. Although diverse in their applications, these researchers have in common a focus on increasing our understanding of the complex physiological processes that occur in cells in their natural environment and following exposure to environmental stressors.******This application is for a state-of-the-art microscope with environmental controls that will allow the researchers to tightly control the environment in which the cells grow while permitting the simultaneous capture of high-resolution images of the cells in real time. The programmable features of this automated device and its capacity to record images of both stained and unstained cells will allow the researchers to simultaneously take many different types of measurements. If a picture tells a thousand words, then this detailed imaging approach to measuring changes in cell function will provide unparalleled access into the complex cellular controls under study.******One of the research labs will use these cutting-edge techniques to identify how human cells sense nutrients in their environment and the impact these nutrients have on cell metabolism, growth, and function. These studies focus on a large family of cell surface receptorsG protein-coupled receptorsthat act as molecular receivers to detect changes in the cellular environment in the form of sugars, fats, and proteins, and translate these signals into the necessary molecular responses to maintain healthy cells. Another researcher will use this instrument to study the physiology of ecologically important phytoplankton species to increase our understanding of how these vital organisms convert light and CO2 into oxygen and energy (primary production), the critical role they play in ocean food webs, and the impact of the environment on phytoplankton growth and resilience within ecosystems. In another lab, student trainees will use this instrument to study the complex relationships established in insect and animal cells following infection with bacteria. These studies focus on the field of epigenetics, which describes the variety of modifications to DNA that complement the instructions provided in our genetic code and greatly influence the ways in which cells function under normal and diseased conditions.******The requested infrastructure would greatly increase the capacity of these and other research programs in the region by providing us with the ability to rapidly generate and analyze biologically relevant data from cells of any organism. Funding this application will support the development of novel lines of inquiry, provide cutting-edge training to numerous highly qualified personnel, and advance both Canadian and international research across multiple disciplines.