"Q-PCR system, small volume UV-VIS spectrophotometer and transilluminator for molecular and chemical analyses of food, biomaterials, water and microorganisms"

我们正在申请资金购买设备，使我们能够（a）分析少量核酸、蛋白质、抗生素、细胞、脂质及其氧化产物（小体积UV-VIS分光光度计），（B）使用基于定量核酸的基因表达和微生物存在的测量（定量聚合酶链式反应[Q-PCR]系统）和（c）可视化，记录和操作含有核酸样品的琼脂糖凝胶（transilluminator），用于身份或基因工程的下游分析。我们的设备要求是建立我们部门研究能力的长期共同计划的一部分。购买这些设备对于我们在食品安全、微生物来源跟踪、工业利益新型生物的生物采矿、营养保健品开发和增值生物化学品生产工艺等领域开展基础和应用项目的能力至关重要。 设备用途的例子包括在食品加工过程中分析食源性细菌病原体单核细胞增生李斯特菌的基因表达，（拟杆菌目）和线粒体DNA标记物，海洋和原生生物来源的多不饱和油的氧化质量，委内瑞拉链霉菌细菌的抗生素（雅多霉素）生产以及属于破囊壶菌的产生ω-3-脂肪酸的原生生物的身份和基因表达。

We are requesting funding to purchase equipment that enables us to (a) analyse small quantities of nucleic acids, proteins, antibiotics, cells, lipids and their oxidation products (small volume UV-VIS spectrophotometer), (b) use quantitative nucleic acid based measurements of gene expression and microbial presence (quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction [Q-PCR] system) and (c) visualise, document and manipulate agarose gels containing samples of nucleic acids (transilluminator) for downstream analysis of identity or genetic engineering. Our equipment request forms part of a long term communal plan to build the research capacity in our department. Acquisition of the equipment is essential for our ability to carry out fundamental and applied projects in the area of food safety, microbial source tracking, biomining for novel organisms of industrial interest, development of nutraceuticals and processes for production of value-added biochemicals. Examples, of equipment uses include analyses of gene expression in the foodborne bacterial pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes, during food processing, quantification of host-specific faecal indicator bacteria (Bacteroidales) and mitochondrial DNA markers in water samples, oxidative quality of polyunsaturated oils of marine and protist origin, antibiotic (jadomycin) production by the Streptomyces venezuelae bacteria and identity of and gene expression in omega-3-fatty acid producing protists belonging to the Thraustochytrids.