Collaborative Research: IIBR Instrumentation: A continuous metabolite sensor for lab and field studies

拉斯维加斯内华达大学（University of Nevada, Las Vegas）开发出一种可植入探针和记录仪，可以连续测量自由活动的野生动物和实验室动物体内的乳酸含量。乳酸在体内发挥着许多关键作用，包括作为应激反应信号、燃料来源、信号分子，以及在运动中达到最大耗氧量或达到有氧潜水极限的指示。尽管它很重要，但从未在自由活动的动物中连续测量过乳酸。该设备还可以测量氧气、葡萄糖和温度，研究人员可以在野外或受控的实验室条件下连续测量活动、休息、潜水或冬眠动物的乳酸和其他变量。这种新设备将消除调查人员在场的影响，因为植入式探针可以连接到背包记录仪上，允许动物自由活动。该项目将促进来自三个不同机构的生物工程师和生物学家之间的跨学科合作，并为博士、本科生和博士后提供跨学科的科学培训。利用该设备的开发作为教学工具，该项目将与一家非营利组织合作，通过暑期课程为服务不足的高中生提供独特的仪器开发培训。该创新项目将使用专门的化学配方和光传感技术来开发直径0.7毫米的柔性探针，该探针可提供高精度、快速和连续的关键参数测量，包括乳酸和葡萄糖。由于每个传感器都基于相同的测量设计，用户可以根据他们的研究问题选择特定的传感器，为广泛研究人员使用的设备提供所需的灵活性。为了确保探针在不同实验或条件下的功能，将对其进行验证，以满足响应时间、准确性、信号稳定性、灵敏度、精度和生物相容性的特定标准。它还将在不同的动物模型和环境条件下进行测试，以确保其适用于各种研究地点、实验和动物模型。持续监测氧气和乳酸水平将提供一个更清晰、更全面的氧气消耗、氧气输送到组织、乳酸积累和乳酸恢复的图像，以应对各种生理挑战和应激源。这将是NSF生物学研究领域的重大技术突破，包括生理学、生态学、能量学、保护生物学和运动科学。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to develop an implantable probe and recorder that continuously measures lactate in freely-moving wild animals and animals in the laboratory. Lactate plays many key roles in the body, including as a stress response signal, a fuel source, a signaling molecule and an indication of reaching maximum oxygen consumption during exercise or reaching the limit of aerobic diving in marine mammals. Despite its importance, lactate has never been continuously measured in freely-moving animals. With this device, which will also measure oxygen, glucose and temperature, researchers can continuously measure lactate and other variables in active, resting, diving or hibernating animals in the field or under controlled laboratory conditions. This new device will eliminate the impacts of having an investigator present since the implantable probe can be attached to a backpack recorder, allowing free movement of animals. The project will foster interdisciplinary collaborations between bioengineers and biologists from three different institutions and provide interdisciplinary scientific training for Ph.D. and undergraduate students and a postdoctoral fellow. Using the development of this device as a teaching tool, this project will provide unique training through a summer course on instrument development for underserved high school students in partnership with a non-profit organization. This innovation project will use specialized chemical formulations and light sensing technology to develop a 0.7 mm diameter, flexible probe that provides highly accurate, rapid and continuous measurements of key parameters, including lactate and glucose. Because each sensor is based on the same measurement design, users can choose sensors specific to their research questions, providing the flexibility required for a device that will be used by a wide-range of researchers. To ensure the probe’s function for different experiments or conditions, it will be validated to meet specific criteria for response time, accuracy, signal stability, sensitivity, precision and biocompatibility. It will also be tested in different animal models and environmental conditions to ensure its applicability to a diverse range of study sites, experiments and animal models. Continuous monitoring of oxygen and lactate levels will provide a clearer and more comprehensive picture of oxygen consumption, oxygen delivery to the tissues, lactate accumulation and lactate recovery in response to varied physiological challenges and stressors. This will be a major technological breakthrough for a number of NSF biology research communities, including physiology, ecology, energetics, conservation biology and exercise science.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.