Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The ability to separate proteins based upon their molecular size is a key step in understanding their possible interacting partners and how various cellular states affect these interactions. One of the main tools in assessing this is a liquid chromatography system where biological samples can be fractionated under native conditions and subsequent methods such as western analysis or enzymatic activity can be used to identify the location of the protein(s) of interest. Such a system is also invaluable in protein purification where various columns including ion exchange and hydrophobic interaction columns can be used to purify biological material. Work in mine and other laboratories relies on such a system where large protein complexes and individual proteins are studied as they relate to basic biology as well as human health. The department of biology has an AKTA Purifier system that is more than 20 years old. The Sacher laboratory also has such a system that was purchased over 16 years ago due to the extensive use needed by their laboratory. Such a system is also needed by the Piekny, Joyce and Kwan laboratories. These two systems are now beyond their lifetime and are no longer supported by the manufacturer. The system in the Sacher laboratory is a workhorse piece of equipment that generates data in virtually every paper from the laboratory. While it was experiencing issues this past year, it is no longer functional and now needs to be replaced. The second system on campus is no longer supported and is experiencing functionality issues.  A malfunctioning fraction collector and poor communication between the updated software and the system are just two key examples of the issues with this system. The latter has led to the loss of a >$4k size exclusion column that caused work on this system to be delayed for 4 months, resulting in the loss of critical experimental time. A similar system from another manufacturer is present on campus but compatibility issues with columns already in the laboratory and access issues during regular working hours have proven to be impediments to research that are unsustainable. Given the heavy use of the system in the Sacher laboratory it is critical that this latter nonfunctional system be replaced. The present application seeks funds to replace this nonfunctional workhorse system with an equivalent, updated system. The new system is more user friendly, but most importantly it can seamlessly accommodate the suite of columns and protocols from the old system, making its integration into the various projects smooth.