Acquisition of a cell-sorting flow cytometer and a storage phosphor imager for environmental and biological studies at Florida International University

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Instrumentation will be acquired that will provide the core for a new Molecular Imaging Facility at the Southeast Environmental Research Center (SERC) of Florida International University (FIU). An Epics Altra flow cytometer equipped for cell sorting and detection of submicron particles will be purchased from Beckman-Coulter Corporation, and a FLA 3000-G phosphor imager will be purchased from Fuji Medical Systems. Both of these instruments will be part of an interdisciplinary multi-user facility that will be used for research and research training by the FIU scientific community. The flow cytometer to be acquired has the resolution to visualize even the smallest bacterial cells, and with the cell-sorting option it can rapidly and automatically isolate and collect specific cells from liquid samples, based on those cells particular light scatter or fluorescent properties. Therefore, this instrument not only provides an incredibly powerful tool for characterization/enumeration but also for the collection of specific populations (such as specific types of bacterial cells, phytoplankton, or spores). The phosphor imager system to be acquired is a multi-label system, which can detect and digitally record images of samples labeled by radioactivity, fluorescence, and chemiluminescence. It will be used to image electrophoresis gels, blots, labeled tissue, etc. The FLA 3000-G phosphor imager was chosen because of its sensitivity, resolution and versatility since it will also permit the use of other non-radioactive labeling strategies. There are a wide variety of projects that will utilize either or both of these instruments. Typically, the phosphor imager will be mostly used for in vitro analysis (in vitro hybridization, genetic fingerprinting, differential display of gene expression, incorporation studies, etc.) while the flow cytometer will handle the in situ or in vivo characterization of whole cells/particles by their scatter and fluorescent properties. Most of the in vivo intact cell analyses by flow cytometry will be used to reveal their numbers, activity, and autofluorescent properties. A variety of other investigations will use intact cells that have been fluorescently labeled based on their specific genotype or phenotype. The acquisition of this instrumentation and the establishment of an Environmental Molecular Imaging Facility at SERC will significantly advance research and educational opportunities at FIU. The instrumentation acquired through this grant will be combined with particle counters, epifluorescent microscopes, digital imaging systems, and other molecular biology resources to provide a concentration of expertise and equipment to the research community within FIU and SERC for molecular biology imaging. This facility will help the faculty and students to adapt and develop appropriate molecular imaging applications to enhance their research.