Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Vertebrates rely on continuous oxygen (O2) delivery for aerobic energy production; however, there are numerous environments in which O2 availability is limited (e.g., at high altitude, in crowded underground burrows, while diving in oceans). Limited O2 availability (i.e., hypoxia) impairs cellular energy production, and ultimately, survival. Despite this challenge, animals have successfully populated many hypoxic niches. The key to tolerating hypoxia is matching metabolic demand to reduced energy supply, and certain vertebrates have evolved a range of adaptive strategies that contribute to this balance. Of particular interest are animals that are adapted to intermittent and repeated periods of hypoxia exposures. Adaptations to such intermittently hypoxic environments are of particular interest to medical research because periods of acute hypoxia followed by reoxygenation are central components of numerous diseases and pathologies (e.g., heart attack, stroke, chronic pulmonary disorders, anemia high-altitude illnesses, etc.). Thus, in addition to gaining knowledge about the physiology and biology of fascinating animals, studying species that have evolved to naturally tolerate such conditions offers fantastic potential for novel advances in our understanding and treatment of hypoxia-related diseases.  This application is a request for a state-of-the-art dynamic gas control system capable of delivering rapid and precise changes in environmental gases and suitable for use with awake and unrestrained small mammals. Over the past several years, my team has made significant discoveries about the effects of hypoxia on physiology and survival, and how a few remarkable animals have evolved to tolerate this clinically-relevant environmental challenge. We are now on the cusp of revealing novel adaptations to this condition and to elucidating their underlying molecular control. This equipment is urgently needed to achieve these goals so that we can make fundamental contributions to the field and inform clinicians about potential treatments of hypoxia-related pathologies. This research also offers significant benefit to HQP by providing them with the skills necessary to become leaders in the field of hypoxic mammalian biology, but also offering translational benefits to Canadians that are of pressing interest to medicine. This equipment will be used on a daily basis by 7-10 HQP, year-round to expose animals to ecophysiologically- and clinically-relevant intermittent and episodic hypoxia paradigms. Such an approach will reveal unique adaptations that enable life in the most extreme hypoxic environments on earth, and yield important insights into the evolution of hypoxia-tolerance in mammals.