Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The study of interactions between cells and their environment requires the availability of molecular tools to probe the cellular environment and understand the resulting cellular response. Toward this end, the three co-applicants on this proposal use complementary expertise in medicinal chemistry (Eric Marsault), stem cell biology (Florian Bentzinger) and biophysics (Michel Grandbois) to interrogate cells.*Marsault generates designer cell penetration agents known as guanidine-rich transporters to deliver otherwise impermeable cargos to cells to modulate cellular response. Importantly, these GRTs have to be diverse to probe the cellular surface and find specific cellular recognition elements.*Bentzinger deciphers the interactions of muscle stem cells and their environment to better understand how stem cells niche modulates the fate of these cells. Finally, Grandbois develops atomic force microscopy and surface plasmon resonance-based methodologies and instruments to interrogate the response of individual cells to different stimuli in heterogenous cell populations.*In order to support their individual NSERC-funded research programs, the co-applicants require access to an infrastructure to generate diversified arrays of peptides and peptidic analogs, in large numbers and micro-quantities. In contrast to a classical peptide synthesizer designed to prepare small numbers (dozens) of peptides in milligram or gram scales, the needs are for large numbers (hundreds to thousands) of peptides in microgram quantities. This is the purpose of this application, i.e. to install an array peptide synthesizer coupled to a slide spotting robot. The current lack of this equipment severely restricts advances in the research programs of the co-applicants. The requested equipment will not only unlock their programs and adequately support the research program of the co-applicants, it will also serve as a stepping stone to start new collaborations with academic collaborators and private companies. Finally, it will also provide an instrument that will provide HQPs with cutting edge technology to be added to their skillset.