Advanced capacity for analysis of nucleic acids in a shared research space

我们需要可靠的高通量核分子定量的关键设备，即QIAxcel先进系统（Qiagen）用于核酸完整性和大小的自动分析，CFX Opus384 Touch Real-Time PCR检测系统（Bio-Rad）用于准确和精确地定量靶DNA和RNA。加上一套基本的支持设备，形成了一个全面、综合的操作系统，这一要求将大大提高西部大学生物多样性、生态和环境科学分子研究（MoBEES）非常成功的设施的能力。MoBEES是生物系的核心设施，通过共同申请者之间的长期合作，共享设备和专业知识，支持研究和培训。MoBEES支持的研究项目涵盖了进化和生态学的一系列领域，促进了我们对自然世界的理解，特别是与加拿大生活有关的研究。该设备支持的研究包括植物对病原体的先天防御（Bernards）、候鸟的生态免疫学和行为生态学（MacDougall-Shackleton）、植物的生态生理学（Macfie）、行为和物种形成的遗传学（Moehring）、鱼类的进化生态学和保护（Neff）、形态发生的分子机制（Percival-Smith）、昆虫的热生理学（Sinclair）、微生物生态学和进化（Tai）。昆虫的行为遗传学和社会生物学（Thompson），真菌的分子生态学（Thorn），以及发育和细胞生物学（Timoshenko），所有这些都经常引起公众以及政府和工业界的兴趣。因此，MoBEES是一个活跃的社区研究中心，专门帮助我们从各种生命形式中分离，扩增，表征和数字记录RNA和DNA。我们的MoBEES团队在组成上是多样化的——也就是说，在职业阶段、出生地和性别方面——但由于迫切需要新设备来支持可靠的高通量核分子定量研究和培训而团结在一起。例如，QIAxcel先进系统将通过快速、多样品（96孔板）测量RNA完整性，大大改善RNA制备。反过来，这将使基因组/转录组测序和定量PCR成为可能，后者现在可以通过CFX Opus 384实时PCR检测系统在内部进行。结合这两种最先进的研究工具的双重功能，加上我们部门支持的MoBEES设施的全职运营经理，将整合我们研究的生态，进化和功能基因组方面，并定义MoBEES培训计划的新时代。

We request critical equipment for reliable high-throughput quantification of nuclear molecules - namely, a QIAxcel Advanced System (Qiagen) for automated analysis of nucleic acid integrity and size, and a CFX Opus384 Touch Real-Time PCR Detection System (Bio-Rad) for accurate and precise quantification of target DNA and RNA. Together with a package of essential support equipment that forms a comprehensive, integrated system of operation, this request will significantly enhance capacity at Western University's highly successful facility for Molecular studies in Biodiversity, Ecology and Environmental Sciences (MoBEES). MoBEES is a core facility in the Department of Biology that supports research and training through a longstanding collaboration between the co-applicants to share equipment and expertise. The research programs supported by MoBEES cover a range of areas in evolution and ecology that advance our understanding of the natural world, particularly as it relates to life in Canada. The research enabled by this equipment request includes plant innate defenses against pathogens (Bernards), ecoimmunology and behavioural ecology of migratory birds (MacDougall-Shackleton), ecophysiology of plants (Macfie), genetics of behaviour and species formation (Moehring), evolutionary ecology and conservation of fishes (Neff), molecular mechanisms of morphogenesis (Percival-Smith), thermal physiology of insects (Sinclair), microbial ecology and evolution (Tai), behavioural genetics and sociobiology of insects (Thompson), molecular ecology of fungi (Thorn), and developmental and cell biology (Timoshenko), all of which regularly capture interest of the public, as well as from government and industry. MoBEES is therefore an active community research hub that specifically helps us to isolate, amplify, characterize and digitally document RNA and DNA from a variety of life forms. Our MoBEES team is diverse in composition - that is, with respect to career-stage, place of origin and gender - but is united by an urgent need for new equipment to support reliable high-throughput quantification of nuclear molecules for research and training. For example, the QIAxcel Advanced System will greatly improve RNA preparations by enabling rapid, multi-sample (96-well plate) measurements of RNA integrity. This, in turn, would enable genome / transcriptome sequencing and qantitative PCR and the latter could now be performed in-house by the CFX Opus 384 Real-Time PCR Detection System. In combination, the dual function of these two state-of-the art research tools, together with our departmentally supported, full-time operations manager of the MoBEES facility, will integrate the ecological, evolutionary and functional genomic aspects of our research and define a new era in the MoBEES training program.