Upgrade for fluorescence activated cell sorter

在这份资助申请中，我们要求升级一种被称为“荧光激活细胞分选仪”的复杂仪器。我们要求增加两个激光器，以将该机器的检测能力从6个荧光标记增加到13个。这将大大提高其从复杂的细胞混合物中识别稀有细胞的能力。例如，现在可以从血液和组织中识别罕见的免疫细胞群，并允许从超过2亿个细胞的复杂混合物中检测独特的荧光微生物或荧光标记细胞。这一升级是一个急需的功能，将有利于免疫学，干细胞生物学，微生物学，化学酶学和生物工程的研究人员。此外，这两种激光器提供了测量紫色激活荧光探针和红色荧光蛋白的独特能力，这些荧光蛋白越来越多地被研究人员用于标记细胞。这次升级将提供一个尖端的细胞分选机，能够高通量分选多荧光样品，并将被安置在大学的流式细胞仪设施，所有研究人员都可以使用。该设施提供培训，支持和专业知识，使研究人员能够对样本进行分类并开发新的创新应用。例如，升级后的仪器将用于基因筛选，以识别和分离细菌中的罕见突变。它将使免疫学家更好地了解免疫细胞对病原体的反应机制，并使病毒学家更好地了解宿主-病原体相互作用。它将有助于优化哺乳动物干细胞作为新生物制剂开发所需的大批量生长条件，有助于改进酶的定向进化，为工业过程提供新的催化剂，并有助于开发新的治疗方法。升级后的仪器将有助于增加我们对未开发生态系统中微生物群落的了解，为细菌中的遗传交换和酵母中营养诱导的基因调控提供新的见解。这将有助于为胚胎中的遗传印记提供新的见解。因此，这一升级的仪器将加强几个研究方案，并将促成新的科学创新和进步，所有这些最终都将使加拿大人受益。它将有助于增加生物学许多领域的知识，推动生物技术的创新发现，并创造新的工业和医疗应用。它还将加强与我们的研究计划相关的许多高素质人员的培训和技术能力。

In this grant application, we are requesting an upgrade to a sophisticated instrument known as a ‘fluorescence-activated cell sorter’. We are requesting two additional lasers that will increase the capability of this machine from detecting 6 fluorescent markers to detecting 13. This will greatly enhance its ability to identify rare cells from complex mixtures of cells. For example, it will now be possible to identify rare immune cell populations from the blood and tissues, and will allow the detection of uniquely fluorescent microbes or fluorescently labeled cells from complex mixtures of over 200 million cells. This upgrade is a much-needed feature that will benefit researchers in immunology, stem cell biology, microbiology, chemical enzymology and biological engineering. In addition, these 2 lasers provide the unique ability to measure violet-activated fluorescent probes and red fluorescent proteins that are increasingly used by researchers to label cells. This upgrade will provide a cutting edge cell sorter capable of high throughput sorting of multi-fluorescent samples and will be housed in the University’s Flow Cytometry Facility, accessible to all researchers. The facility provides training, support and expertise that enables researchers to sort samples and develop new innovative applications. For example, the upgraded instrument will be used in genetic screens to identify and isolate rare mutations in bacteria. It will enable immunologists to better understand the mechanisms immune cells employ in response to pathogens, and enable virologists better understand host-pathogen interactions. It will help lead to the optimization of large batch growth conditions required for the development of mammalian stem cells as new biologics, assist in the directed evolution of improved enzymes that provide new catalysts for industrial processes and contribute to the development of new therapeutics. The upgraded instrument will help increase our knowledge of microbial communities in unexplored ecosystems, provide new insights into genetic exchange in bacteria and nutrient induced gene regulation in yeast. It will help provide new insights into genetic imprinting in embryos. This upgraded instrument will thus enhance several research programs and will enable new scientific innovations and advances, all of which will ultimately benefit Canadians. It will help increase knowledge in many areas of biology, fuel innovative discoveries in biotechnology and create new industrial and medical applications. It will also enhance the training and technological capabilities of the many highly qualified personnel associated with our research programs.