MRC Equip: A bioenergetics platform to facilitate research in metabolic pathologies

线粒体存在于体内的所有细胞内(红细胞除外)，其功能是产生健康功能和生存所需的细胞能量。因为它们存在于身体的所有器官中，当它们功能失调时，可能会发生各种疾病、伤害和损伤，导致对健康和健康衰老的终生后果。该提案要求提供资金购买一台SeaHorse XF Pro Analyser。该设备能够测量各种样本中氧气使用量和pH值的微小波动，包括分离的线粒体、细胞、组织样本和整个生物体(例如斑马鱼幼体)。这将生成线粒体功能的快照，这是一种细胞生物能量谱，然后可以监测损伤后的损害，或用于报告何时进行治疗干预是有益的。SeaHorse XF Pro Analyser使用96孔板格式，这意味着许多样本可以快速进行比较。在RVC和其他地方进行的研究发现，线粒体功能障碍与神经退行性变(如帕金森氏症、阿尔茨海默病)、脑损伤(如出生时缺氧)、心血管疾病、肾脏疾病和肌肉骨骼损伤有关。获得一台SeaHorse XF Pro Analyser将使研究人员能够确定与这些疾病有关的目标蛋白如何扰乱细胞的生物能量谱，以及潜在的新疗法如何恢复细胞健康。

Mitochondria reside inside all cells in the body (except red blood cells), and function to generate cellular energy needed for healthy function and survival. Because they are present in all organs of the body, when they become dysfunctional, a wide variety of diseases, injuries and impairments can occur, leading to life long consequences for health and healthy ageing. This proposal requests funding to purchase a Seahorse XF Pro Analyser. This equipment is capable of measuring tiny fluctuations in oxygen usage and pH in a variety of samples, including isolated mitochondria, cells, tissue samples and whole organisms (e.g. zebrafish larvae). This generates a snapshot of mitochondrial function, a cellular bioenergetic profile, which can then be monitored for impairments after injury or be used to report when therapeutic intervention is beneficial. The Seahorse XF Pro Analyser uses a 96-well plate format which means that many samples can be compared rapidly.Research carried out at the RVC and elsewhere has identified mitochondrial dysfunction in the development of neurodegeneration (e.g. Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease), brain injury (e.g. following oxygen deprivation during birth), cardiovascular disease, kidney disease and musculoskeletal impairment. Acquiring a Seahorse XF Pro Analyser would enable researchers to determine how target proteins implicated in these conditions perturb the cellular bioenergetic profile and how potential new therapies might restore cellular health.