UAB Multi-user Fermentation Facility Upgrade

描述(由申请人提供)：生化发酵设施系于1984年开业，新设备从NIH(S10)共享仪器基金购买。最初的建筑是为了满足一所快速发展的生物化学医学院的需求 由罗伯特·D·威尔斯领导的部门。威尔斯博士从威斯康星大学被招聘到伯明翰，增加了10个新的教员，专注于一系列生物化学专业的分子研究。这一组的需求包括从包括细菌、酵母和组织培养细胞在内的一系列培养生物中分离酶、脂类、核酸和多糖。1984年聘用的全职运营经理Woody Robbins和兼职技术人员帮助UAB和访问学者将仪器用于他们特定的定制实验目的。1998年，发酵设施从原来的地点搬到了UAB校园边缘的现在的地点。该结构是一座独立的建筑，容纳了一群专门设计的实验室，这些实验室为大型实验生长室和发酵设备提供了特殊的水、蒸汽和电气设备。发酵设施占地2000平方英尺。帕特里克·希金斯博士现在是发酵实验室的负责人，该实验室有两名全职工作人员。伍迪·罗宾斯是该部门的工程经理，已在该职位工作了25年。他负责运维计划，是校内外用户的主要联系人。金·哈迪担任关键研究助理已有12年。金负责培养2000年L的HeLa细胞，使王恒斌能够分离出去泛素化复合体(见Joo，H.Y.，L.Zhai，等人)。(2007)。自然449(7165)：1068-72该实验室采取盈亏平衡战略，以收回两名关键员工的运营成本和工资。自2001年以来，这种做法一直运作良好。现有的发酵设备由新不伦瑞克科学公司生产的五个发酵罐组成。有两台机组没有投入使用，为其馀机组获得备件变得越来越困难。这项申请要求提供资金，用于购买3个新的发酵罐和1台细胞采集离心机，以取代旧的设备，以便该设施能够在未来很好地继续下去，为调查人员提供有效开展与健康有关的科学研究的工具。 与公共卫生相关：研究人员正在利用UAB发酵设施的服务进行与健康有关的基础研究，以更好地了解各种人类疾病。这项研究的目标是彻底了解特定疾病的潜在机制，并将这些知识应用于开发更有效的治疗和患者护理。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Department of Biochemistry Fermentation Facility opened in 1984 with new equipment purchased from an NIH (S10) Shared Instrument Grant. The original building was built to serve the needs of a rapidly growing medical school with Biochemistry Department led by Robert D. Wells. Dr. Wells was recruited to Birmingham from the University of Wisconsin to add 10 new faculties focused on molecular studies of a range of biochemical specialties. The needs of this group included isolating enzymes, lipids, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides from a range of cultured organisms including bacteria, yeast, and tissue culture cells. One full time operating manager, Woody Robbins, hired in 1984, and part time technicians helped UAB and visiting scholars use the instruments for their specific customized experimental purposes. In 1998, the Fermentation facility moved from its original site to the current locale at the edge of the UAB campus. The structure is a standalone building that houses a cluster of laboratories specifically designed with special water, steam, and electrical provisions for large scale experimental growth chambers and fermentation equipment. The Fermentation facility occupies 2000 sq ft in this building. Dr. N. Patrick Higgins now directs the Fermentation Lab, which operates with two full time personnel. Woody Robbins is the Engineering Manager of the unit, and has served in that capacity for 25 years. He runs the operation and maintenance schedule and is the primary contact person for users inside and outside the university. Kim Hardy has been a key Research Assistant for 12 years. Kim took charge of growing 2000 L of HeLa cells that allowed Hengbin Wang to isolate a deubiquitination complex (see Joo, H. Y., L. Zhai, et al. (2007). Nature 449(7165): 1068-72. The lab runs on a break even strategy to recover running costs and salary for the two essential workers. This has worked well since 2001. The existing fermentation equipment consists of five fermentors made by New Brunswick Scientific. Two units are not operational and it is becoming increasingly difficult to obtain spare parts for the remaining units. This application requests funding for the purchase of 3 new fermentors and a cell-harvesting centrifuge to replace the old units so that the facility can continue well into the future providing investigators with the tools to efficiently conduct research in health related sciences. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The investigators taking advantage of the UAB Fermentation Facility's services are conducting basic health related research to better understand a variety of human diseases. The goal of this research is to gain a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms of specific diseases and applying that knowledge to developing more effective treatments and patient care.