Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

High-throughput, real-time detection of optical, chemical, or biological signals from living cells in a microplate is an innovative approach to efficiently study cellular events under various conditions in their most natural state. This cutting-edge technology revolutionized the ability to develop cell-based assays to answer fundamental questions in life sciences, such as cell differentiation and immune response. The requested multi-mode plate reader is a platform that not only measures UV/visible absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence of biomolecular samples, such as enzymes, antibodies, nucleic acids, but also images living cells, three-dimensional spheroids at sub-second temporal resolution. This plate reader is absolutely vital for implementing complex experiments on biomolecular and cellular systems, including enzymatic assays, phenotypic assays, molecular targeting, cell proliferation and cytotoxicity analysis, biomarker quantification, and for training the next generation of impassioned scientists.******The plate reader is requested by a team of ten NSERC-funded researchers, including five early-career investigators, engaged in biochemistry and life science studies. The team is highly successful with publications of international impact and more than $3M operating grants from the tri-council agencies alone in the last three years. However, the lack of a state-of-the-art, multi-mode plate reader capable of imaging hampers the team's research progress. Delay in acquisition has severe implications for the training of HQP from these laboratories and has the potential of a long-lasting negative impact on research programs spanning the fields of enzymology, cell biology, neuroscience, immunology, and tissue physiology.******The requested instrument is a critical tool for a rapidly growing research community of biochemistry and life sciences across the Windsor-Essex region. Life sciences is one of the strategic priorities at the University of Windsor demonstrated by a strong commitment with a new research building (Essex Centre of Research), the strategic hiring of five new faculty members in the departments of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, and the provision of a research stimulus fund of $35,000 to supplement the requested fund of this application. The requested multi-mode plate reader will fulfill a significant deficiency in the research capability and will promote world-class research programs in biochemistry and life sciences.******This platform will immediately provide support to ten research programs (three applicants and seven frequent users) across two departments. This equipment is critical for the training of at least 50 HQP in the first year alone. Important to note, the requested instrument is central to the progress of several collaborative, multi-disciplinary team grants that include national and international partnerships in the fields of drug discovery, proteomics, biotechnology, cellular biology, and many others.********