A multi-application microarray robot for agri-food research, industrial biotechnology and on-chip manufacturing

我们正在寻求资金以获得用于生物科学研究的微阵列机器人。这些机器实际上是打印机，可以代替墨水，在幻灯片或膜等表面上以斑点的形式打印生物样本。微阵列的力量及其对生命科学研究的价值是巨大的，因为来自复杂生物系统的整个分子库可以在一个比邮票还小的区域内以数万个点的形式表示。有了这些排列的文库，我们可以探索分子之间的相互作用，测试生物活性，筛选新药和发现新的酶。这项技术最初应用于核酸（DNA和RNA），但微阵列现在用于研究蛋白质、碳水化合物、脂质和小分子。这项技术在破译基因和蛋白质之间的相互作用网络以及大规模筛选抗体、酶和其他生物分子方面尤其强大。此外，最新一代的微阵列机器人也是先进的制造设备，能够制造传感器和分析，并可用于在机器控制的环境中执行多路复用（许多同时）微尺度实验。我们所要求的设备将由一家全球领先的英国公司定制制造，具有定制功能，大大提高了其能力和多功能性。通过将该设备嵌入纽卡斯尔大学新生物系统工程部门，我们将创建一个真正世界级的微阵列技术中心，这将加速食品安全、生物能源和工业生物技术以及健康生物科学的研究。通过与本地但全球活跃的行业合作伙伴合作，我们将利用这些设备推动转化研究走向商业化。这些设备还将确保新一代的英国学生能够接触到最先进的技术，为研究带来持久的好处。

We are seeking funding to acquire a microarray robot for bioscience research. These machines are in effect printers that instead of ink, print biological samples in the form of spots on a surface such as a slide or membrane. The power of microarrays and their value to life science research is immense because entire libraries of molecules from complex biological systems can be represented in the form of tens of thousands of spots in an area no bigger than a postage stamp. With these arrayed libraries, we can explore interactions between molecules, test for biological activities, screen for new drugs and discover new enzymes. This technology was first applied to nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), but microarrays are now used for research into proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and small molecules. The technology is especially powerful for deciphering interaction networks between genes and proteins and for large scale screening of antibodies, enzymes and other bio-molecules. Furthermore, the latest generation of microarray robots are also advanced manufacturing devices capable of fabricating sensors and assays and can be used for performing multiplexed (many simultaneously) microscale experiments in-situ within the controlled environment of the machine. The equipment that we are requesting will be custom manufactured with bespoke features that greatly enhance its capacity and versatility, by a globally-leading UK company. By embedding this equipment within a new Biosystems Engineering unit at Newcastle University, we will create a truly world-class microarray technology hub that will accelerate research in food security, bioenergy and industrial biotechnology and health bioscience. By working with locally based but globally active industry partners we will use this equipment to drive translational research towards commercialisation. The equipment will also ensure that a new generation of UK students will have access to state-of-the-art technology, bringing a lasting legacy of research benefits.