Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Our research team, consisting of two Chemical engineers (Amsden and Fitzpatrick) and two Mechanical and Materials Engineers (Ploeg and Rainbow), are requesting funds to purchase a Cytation 1 hybrid cell imaging and multi-mode detection system, a level II biological safety cabinet, and an Ibidi perfusion system. This equipment suite is needed to support research into strategies to create cell instructive scaffolds for engineering soft connective tissues such as tendons and ligaments and the nucleus pulposus of the intervertebral disc, and an in vitro model of biomaterial host responses in complex environments. The Cytation 1 is a unique instrument that combines automated digital microscopy imaging and data analysis and conventional microplate analyte detection. This instrument does not exist at Queen's and would provide critical analytical capacity to our team and to the broader Queen's university research endeavour. A level II biological safety cabinet is requested to replace an aging and failing safety cabinet that is a workhorse in the Amsden lab. A dedicated Ibidi perfusion system is urgently needed to support the development of human 3D tissue models of biomaterial host responses as access to similar perfusion systems is currently limited on Queen's campus. The primary users of these requested instruments will be the graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and undergraduate researchers in the applicants' research groups. We anticipate between 15 to 20 HQP will be trained using this equipment over the next 5 years. The projects these HQP will be working on are designed to train personnel for the emerging Canadian biomedical and biotechnology industries. Moreover, given the versatility of the requested equipment, it is expected to contribute to attracting new HQP to our research programs at Queen's as well as to cultivate new interdisciplinary research programs and collaborations. To hire HQP for these projects, we will implement EDI best practices to ensure our teams are diverse. and we excel at tackling unique research questions. In addition, we will prioritize effective communication, and promote the value of equity in teamwork. These practices will ensure that we maintain our group diversity and provide opportunities to all qualified candidates.