Gene editing and phenotyping suite

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We are requesting funds for a gene editing and phenotyping suite that will allow us to modify the genomes of insects, amphibians, and fish, and study the biological consequences of these modifications. This equipment is critical to the NSERC-supported research programs in the Evans, Wilson, Dworkin labs, a proposed research theme in the Pruitt lab, and will be available to other groups on campus and collaborating institutions. This suite includes several components (pipette puller, two micromanipulators, two picospritzers, two microscopes, and upgrade to an existing microscope, two incubators, and a recirculating system for Xenopus frogs) that together will enable us to generate and study engineered genomes at molecular, cellular, organ, and whole organism level of resolution. This suite will allow us to alter animal genomes both by removing function (knock-outs) and inserting function (knock-ins) using state-of-the-art methods, and with unparalleled efficiency and specificity relative to other techniques. The ability to generate and analyze mutant lines from diverse organisms (insects, amphibians, fish) will enable us to significantly advance our research programs in a way that is not currently possible. It will leverage the considerable investments we have made in animal care facilities for invertebrate and vertebrate organisms, genomics and bioinformatics, molecular biology, and imaging. In the immediate future (next 3 years), this infrastructure will be used to study the structure and conservation of developmental pathways, the physiological response to environmental stresses and toxins, trait evolvability and plasticity, and endocrine disruption. Over the long term it will be deployed for a broad array of biological manipulations and experimentations, as directed by our future research results. This facility includes features that will enhance HQP training (e.g., a microscope with camera and monitor; paired HQP workflow). To ensure we maximize the functional lifespan of this suite of equipment, we will establish both a financial plan and a rigorous training program for all users, including issues pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion. This infrastructure is urgently needed because we are currently unable to perform fundamental aspects of their research program at McMaster because suitable equipment is either not available or being fully utilized in a non-centralized locations with intermittent access. The genetic engineering approaches we will deploy will allow us to make important contributions to understanding of fundamental biological phenomena that are the foci of our diverse research programs. More broadly, genetic engineering holds great promise for a myriad of problems with a global scope (disease, food production, species survival). Our HQP thus will receive training with this equipment that will push open intellectual doors and experimental approaches, and with extensive and long lasting potential benefits to society.