Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The multi-mode microplate reader requested by Drs. Lau and Jakeman in the College of Pharmacy at Dalhousie University will have significant impact on basic pharmaceutical sciences research programs, which include chemical bioactivation/detoxification, chemical kinetics, actions and toxicity, genomics, chemical biology, natural product chemistry, and cancer biology. Dr. Lau's NSERC-funded research includes unique-to-Canada studies on a detoxification enzyme aldehyde oxidase. Dr. Jakeman's NSERC-funded research includes developing unique probe molecules to provide mechanistic insight into various enzymes involved in glycan assembly in bacteria, fungi, and mammalian cells. Our research programs will elucidate the mechanisms of chemical actions and toxicities and their molecular interactions with biological systems and discover new molecules to probe biological systems, thereby contributing to fundamental pharmaceutical sciences. This equipment will provide research trainees with hands-on experience to work in industry, clinical, and academic laboratories. We have an urgent need for an ultra-sensitive and flexible multi-mode microplate reader that quantifies UV/visible absorbance, fluorescence, and luminescence signals. Dr. Lau needs the instrument to perform many time-sensitive assays, including absorbance, fluorescence, luminescence, laser-based time-resolved fluorescence resonance energy transfer, bioluminescence resonance energy transfer, amplified luminescence proximity homogenous assays, dual-luciferase assays, and nucleic acid/protein quantification. The lack of this instrument within the laboratory has hindered the progress of her NSERC-funded research program, which requires the instrument to elucidate the mechanisms regulating the expression and function of chemical-metabolizing enzymes. Dr. Jakeman needs the instrument to determine enzyme kinetics using absorbance or fluorescence-based substrates or inhibitors, quantify the affinity between novel boronic acid-based carbohydrate sensors and cell-surface glycans, quantify nucleic acids for mutagenesis studies, and quantify protein concentrations for enzyme kinetics. The time-sensitive nature of some of these assays requires a locally-housed instrument. Dr. Jakeman has three graduate trainees whose data collection, publication preparation, and thesis defences have been delayed because of a lack of access to this instrument. Overall, this state-of-art microplate reader is an essential shared instrument for conducting many new biochemical and biological assays in pharmaceutical sciences research. It will support the applicants' research programs and collaborations with other researchers within and outside the College of Pharmacy. There is no instrument with the same capabilities as the proposed equipment in the College or Faculty. The equipment needs to be housed locally to ensure cost-effective and efficient ways to conduct the assays and to obtain high-quality data for publications.