X-Ray Irradiation Platform for cells and small animal studies

这项申请是为了申请购买X射线辐射器的资金，该辐射器允许对小动物和体外细胞培养模型进行全身照射。戴维斯夫人研究所(LDI)见证了需要电离辐射进行研究的用户数量激增。电离辐射是免疫学、DNA损伤/修复和端粒生物学领域的一种强有力的工具。全身照射是免疫学中的一种标准程序，用来在小动物身上进行骨髓消融，从而允许随后移植供者的造血干细胞。体外X射线照射也常用于评估细胞修复DNA断裂和维持端粒结构的潜力。到目前为止，LDI的研究人员已经使用了医院的临床辐照仪。这对基础研究人员来说一直是个问题，因为只有当临床医生完成对患者的治疗时，才能使用它。随着放射治疗需求的增加，基础研究人员获得辐照器的难度越来越大，情况越来越糟糕。此外，虽然研究人员可以预留时间使用它，但为了优先照顾病人，预约经常被取消。此外，研究人员无法自己操作辐照器，只能依靠与技术人员协调来执行实际程序。这种持续不断的情况阻碍了关键实验的进行，并显著降低了许多基础研究项目的生产率，包括主要申请者Alexandre Orthwein博士及其共同申请者Korn Mann博士和Chantal Autex ier博士的研究成果。因此，获得室内辐射器对于多个LDI研究实验室发挥其全部潜力是至关重要的。其中包括戴维斯夫人研究所的另外9名研究人员，他们在体外或体内进行研究，以了解不同细胞环境中的DNA修复机制。 这些设备将补充LDI已提供的现有基础设施和核心设施。它将被安装在小动物研究核心设施中，以促进最大限度的使用。这将允许用小鼠或大鼠的动物笼子进行全身照射，使用固定的准直器对目标区域进行照射，或对细胞进行照射。X光机柜提供大面积的空间，最多可容纳12只小动物或多个待照射的样品，并且是自我屏蔽的，因此不需要额外的屏障或基础设施翻新。 一旦整合到LDI，这种设备将有助于：(I)加速多个研究项目，(Ii)允许培训高素质人员(即学生和博士后研究员)，以及(Iii)产生量化数据，使研究人员能够提高其项目的影响力。加强LDI不同研究单位之间的合作也将是至关重要的。

This application is to request funding for the purchase of an X-Ray irradiator that allows whole body irradiation of small animals as well as ex vivo cell culture models. The Lady Davis Institute (LDI) has witnessed a massive surge in users requiring ionizing irradiation for their studies. Ionizing radiation is a powerful tool that is utilized in the fields of immunology, DNA damage/repair and telomere biology. Whole body irradiation is a standard procedure in immunology to produce bone marrow ablation in small animals, which allows the subsequent transplantation of donor hematopoietic stem cells. Ex vivo X-ray irradiation is also commonly used to evaluate the potential of cells to repair DNA breaks and maintain telomere structure. Up to now, researchers at the LDI have used the hospital’s clinical irradiator. This has been problematic for basic researchers as it is only available when clinicians are done treating patients. With the increased demand for radiation therapy, the access to the irradiator for basic researchers has become more and more difficult and worsen. Moreover, while researchers can reserve time to use it, appointments are frequently canceled to prioritize patient care. Furthermore, researchers are unable to operate the irradiator themselves and rely on coordinating with the technician to perform the actual procedures. This ongoing situation has prevented critical experiments to be performed and significantly decreased the productivity of a number of fundamental research programs, including those of the principal applicant Dr. Alexandre Orthwein and his co-applicants Drs. Koren Mann and Chantal Autexier. Acquiring an ‘in house’ irradiator is therefore essential for multiple LDI research labs to reach their full potential. These include 9 additional researchers at the Lady Davis Institute, for whom ex vivo or in vivo studies to understand DNA repair mechanisms in different cellular contexts. This equipment will complement the existing infrastructure and core facilities already offered at the LDI. It will be installed in the small animal Research Core facility to promote maximal usage. This will allow whole body irradiation to be performed with mouse or rat animal cages, irradiation to targeted areas with the use of a fixed collimator, or irradiation on cells. The X-ray cabinet provides a large area with space for up to 12 small animals or multiple samples to be irradiated, and is self-shielded, thereby requiring no additional barrier or infrastructure renovation. Once integrated into the LDI, this equipment will serve to: (i) accelerate multiple research programs, (ii) allow for training of high quality personnel (i.e. students and post-doctoral fellows), and (iii) produce quantitative data that will allow researchers to increase the impact of their projects. It will also be critical to enhance collaborations between different research units at the LDI.