Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Accurately measuring the quantity and activities of metabolic and cell signalling processes is crucial in understanding physiological and pathological processes within the body. In order to conduct these types of analyses we require a multi-mode reader. Our current multi-mode reader is non-functioning and non-repairable since it is 20 years old, making acquisition of a new multi-mode reader an urgent matter. Acquisition of a multi-mode reader is vital to the success of our research programs and without this equipment our research programs would be dramatically limited. Acquisition of the Cytation 5 Cell Imaging and Multi-Mode Reader will not only allow us to conduct this vital research, but it will expand our current research capacity by allowing simultaneous quantification of metabolic and cell signalling pathways while also providing visualization of these cellular processes. This is important because subcellular location and the interaction between signaling components provide critical information on these complex and often highly integrated signaling pathways. Using the requested equipment we will be able to simultaneously quantify quantity, subcellular location and interaction of cell signaling components, dramatically increasing the richness of the data put out by our research programs. Importantly, the high quality components of the Cytation 5 yield highly accurate results, using simplified methods that are more cost effective than traditional analytical systems. Furthermore, the Gen5 software that accompanies the Cytation 5 system yields high quality images and precise data with an intuitive analysis platform. Using the Cytation 5, we will be able to expand on our understanding of the mechanisms that underpin fundamental physiological processes within tissues (muscle, liver and brain) as well as cells (muscle, liver, cancer), which will contribute substantially to our understanding of the regulation of muscle, liver, and brain metabolic function, and the regulation of cell death and differentiation. The Cytation 5 will support the research programs of 5 applicants within the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Waterloo. Furthermore, acquisition of this equipment will serve as a critical piece of infrastructure used to train the next generation of Canadian scientists. Direct access to the Cytation 5 will allow trainees to complete their analyses efficiently and give them the foundational and novel skills required to become leading researchers in both academic and industry careers. Overall, the acquisition of the Cytation 5 Cell Imaging and Multi-Mode Reader will greatly enhance the quantity and quality of the research we and our trainees are conducting and will increase our standing as research leaders in our fields in Canada.