Acquisition of a focused-ultrasonicator system

多年来，NSERC资助的至少11个舍布鲁克大学生物学系PI的研究项目及其> 80名学员和工作人员科学家一直受到我们的探针和水浴超声仪的限制，因为它们的分子生物学，基因组学和系统生物学方法。 具有自适应聚焦声学（AFA）的聚焦超声发生器是一种强大的技术，它使用声能来机械处理样品。与传统的超声处理系统相反，AFA技术在高度可控和精确的等温过程中采用超声声能的集中爆发。因此，实验方案更容易标准化，结果具有高度可重复性，并且可以使用这种创新方法实施更具挑战性的方法。提供AFA技术的超声波仪可用于各种应用，是下一代测序（NGS）核酸机械片段化的首选方法。我们的研究团队使用NGS技术作为日常调查工具，以解决合成生物学，癌症，生殖，代谢，宿主-微生物相互作用等问题。此外，AFA技术是一种非常通用且高度可控的技术，不仅可以简化NGS的样品制备，还可以进行核分离、生物膜破坏和药物溶解以及许多其他方法。所要求的ML 230聚焦超声发生器将允许方法上的进步，这将有助于我们快速提高生产率，并将实现新的尖端应用。我们要求资助购买这种仪器，否则无法在舍布鲁克大学。该系统的收购是必不可少的，我们的研究计划，并将使许多新项目，以及有助于在一个主要的方式从几个实验室在生物系和科学学院的高素质人才的培训。

For a number of years, the NSERCfunded research programs of at least 11 PIs of the Université de Sherbrooke Biology department and their > 80 trainees and staff scientists have been hampered by the limitations of our probe and bath sonicators for their molecular biology, genomics and system biology approaches. Focused-ultrasonicators with Adaptive Focused Acoustics (AFA) are a powerful technology that uses acoustic energy to mechanically process samples. Contrary to traditional sonication systems, the AFA technology employs focused bursts of ultrasonic acoustic energy in a highly controllable and precise isothermal process. As a consequence, experimental protocols are significantly easier to standardize, results are highly reproducible, and more challenging methods can be implemented using this innovative approach. Ultrasonicators offering the AFA technology can be used in a wide variety of applications and are the method of choice for the mechanical fragmentation of nucleic acids for Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS). Our research teams use NGS technologies as an everyday investigative tool to address questions in synthetic biology, cancer, reproduction, metabolism, host-microbe interactions, among others. Moreover, AFA technology is an extremely versatile and highly controllable technique that not only standardizes the sample preparation for NGS, but also allows nuclear isolation, biofilm disruption, and drug solubilization as well as a number of other methods. The requested ML230 focused-ultrasonicator will allow methodological advances that will help us to rapidly increase productivity and that will enable new cutting-edge applications. We request funding to purchase this instrument that is otherwise unavailable at the Université de Sherbrooke. Acquisition of this system is essential for our research programs and will enable many new projects as well as contribute in a major way to the training of highly qualified personnel from several laboratories in the Biology department and the Faculty of Sciences of our University.