Hypoxic incubators to conduct studies in low oxygen environments

在低氧（缺氧）条件下进行细胞实验的挑战之一是细胞处理后返回大气（21%）氧气。细胞从低氧（缺氧或完全无氧）环境转移到大气氧环境后5分钟内就会发生细胞变化。需要在低氧条件下进行的研究包括细胞应激反应、炎症、癌症生物学、干细胞发育和细胞氧感应等。没有这些设备我们的工作是不可能的。目前我们依靠三重气体（N2-O2-CO2）培养箱来产生缺氧条件。然而，这些孵化器现在已经使用了20年，并且已经超过了预期的使用寿命（10年）。由于我们每天都在使用它们，我们过时的三气恒温箱被填满了容量。这些腔室经常在故障的威胁下运行。在过去的一年里，由于维修（更换O2和CO2传感器，水套泄漏，携带气体的内部管道泄漏，控制主板故障），Willmore和Biggar实验室的10名本科生，10名研究生和1名博士后实习生的实验中断。这样的挫折浪费了宝贵的时间，也给学生带来了巨大的压力，影响了他们发表论文、撰写论文和完成本科毕业论文项目所需的数据采集。事情已经到了崩溃的边缘。如果在未来一年内没有更好的系统取代这些系统，那么我们的核心研究计划（依赖于缺氧环境的产生）将无法继续下去。依赖于这种基础设施的实验室受训者的项目将因无法使用而受到极大阻碍。所要求的设备是两台HeracellT 150i三气恒温箱。所提出的培养箱将允许在细胞操作过程中控制环境，并确保在整个实验过程中维持低氧条件。低氧培养箱将使我们的实验室（以及合作实验室）在细胞操作和收获时保持低氧条件，并随着时间的推移具有程序化的氧气条件（如分级缺氧或预处理缺氧暴露）。卡尔顿大学没有类似的单位，渥太华地区只有少数几个是研究人员无法进入的，用于研究细菌而不是哺乳动物细胞。因此，低氧恒温箱对于Willmore和Biggar实验室以及合作实验室的研究项目的继续至关重要，这些实验室都依赖于低氧环境的产生。

One of the challenges of experimentation with cells under low oxygen (hypoxic) conditions is the return to atmospheric (21%) oxygen after cell treatment. Cellular changes can occur WITHIN 5 MINUTES of removal of cells from low (hypoxic or complete absence of oxygen (anoxic)) to atmospheric oxygen environments. Research requiring hypoxic conditions includes studies on cell stress response, inflammation, cancer biology, stem cell development and oxygen sensing by cells. Our work is impossible without this equipment. Currently we are relying upon triple gas (N2-O2-CO2) incubators to generate hypoxic conditions. However, these incubators are now 20 years old and are failing, having reached beyond their expected lifespan (which is 10 years). As we use them on a daily basis, our out-dated triple gas incubators are filled to capacity. These chambers operate under constant threat of failure. Over the past year, shut downs for repairs (replacement of O2 and CO2 sensors, leakage of the water jacket, leakage in internal tubing carrying gases, failure of controlling motherboards) has disrupted the experiments of 10 Undergraduate Students, 10 Graduate Students and 1 Postdoctoral trainees in the Willmore and Biggar labs. Set-backs like this waste precious time and cause enormous stress by interfering with data acquisition by students needed for publications, theses, and completion of undergraduate thesis projects. Things are reaching a breaking point. If these are not replaced with a better system within the next year, then our core research program (which relies on the generation of hypoxic environments) will not be able to continue. The projects of the trainees of the labs dependent upon this infrastructure will be greatly hindered by not having access to it. The equipment requested is two HeracellT 150i Tri-Gas Incubators. The proposed incubators would allow for controlled environments during cell manipulation and ensure that hypoxic conditions are maintained throughout the experiment. The hypoxic incubators will enable our lab (as well as collaborating labs) to maintain low oxygen conditions upon cell manipulation and harvest, as well as have programmed oxygen conditions (such as graded hypoxia or preconditioning hypoxia exposures) over time. There are no similar units at Carleton University and only a few within the Ottawa region that are inaccessible to the researchers and used for studies with bacteria and not mammalian cells. The hypoxic incubators are therefore CRITICAL for the continuation of the research programs of the Willmore and Biggar labs, as well as collaborating labs, that are dependent upon the generation of low oxygen environments.