High resolution integrated respirometry and fluorometry system for cellular and subcellular metabolic assessment

组成我们身体不同器官和组织的细胞依靠能量来发挥正常功能，比如肌肉收缩、大脑活动、脂肪储存调节和免疫。细胞代谢在提供这种能量方面非常重要。保持健康的生活方式（例如，适当的饮食，积极锻炼身体）将保持细胞代谢功能。然而，衰老和一些与年龄相关的疾病会对代谢功能产生负面影响，导致活动能力受损、肌肉萎缩、认知能力下降、肥胖、2型糖尿病和免疫功能障碍。我们nserc资助的集体研究项目的中心焦点是研究细胞生物能量功能在这些不同范例下的作用，以补充全身测量。要做到这一点，需要能够让我们以高水平的准确性和灵敏度全面检查各种组织中细胞生物能量功能的设备。来自Oroboros Instruments的O2k-FluoRespirometer系统代表了市场上唯一的模块化高分辨率系统，使用少量生物样品具有最大的灵敏度和精度。所提出的仪器将允许完整或渗透细胞和组织以及亚细胞部分的细胞生物能量功能的全面检查。O2k系统代表了一个关键的设备，它将补充实验室现有的设备，使我们能够充分表征正常细胞功能的“生物能量表型”，它们各自的病理轨迹，以及对生活方式或药物干预的反应。随着加拿大人口持续老龄化，与年龄有关的疾病和残疾的医疗负担不断增加。然而，我们必须首先了解导致这些与年龄有关的疾病的潜在细胞和亚细胞生物能量机制。有了这些基础信息，我们就可以更好地了解如何尽可能地保持健康和健康直到生命的尽头，从而允许加拿大人健康老龄化，并使他们的知识和经验能够继续为我们的全球社会做出贡献，减少医疗保健系统的压力，提高生活质量。

Cells that make up different organs and tissues in our body rely on energy for proper function, such as muscle contraction, brain activity, regulation of fat storage, and immunity. Cellular metabolism is very important in providing this energy. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle (e.g., proper diet, being physically active) will preserve cellular metabolic function. However, aging and several age-related diseases negatively affect metabolic function, resulting in impairments in mobility, muscle wasting, cognitive decline, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and immune dysfunction. A central focus of our collective NSERC-funded research programs is to look at the role of cellular bioenergetic function under these different paradigms to complement whole body measures. To do so requires equipment that will allow us to fully examine cellular bioenergetic function in various tissues with a high level of accuracy and sensitivity. The O2k-FluoRespirometer system from Oroboros Instruments represents the only modular high-resolution system on the market with maximal sensitivity and precision using small amounts of biological samples. The proposed instrument will allow a full examination of cellular bioenergetic function in intact or permeabilized cells and tissues and subcellular fractions. The O2k system represent a critical piece of equipment that will complement current equipment in the lab and allow us the ability to fully characterized "bioenergetic phenotypes" of normal cellular function, their respective pathological trajectories, and resulting responses to lifestyle or pharmacological interventions. As Canada's population continues to age, there are ever-increasing healthcare burdens of age-related diseases and disabilities. However, it is imperative that we first understand the underlying cellular and subcellular bioenergetic mechanisms contributing to these age-related diseases. With this foundational information, we can then better understand how to maintain health and wellness as nearly as possible to the end of life, thus allowing for healthy aging of Canadians and enabling continued contribution of their knowledge and experience to our global society, reducing pressure on healthcare systems and improving quality of life more generally.