Alteration and Renovation Supplement to Development of Germplasm Resources for Preservation of Aquatic Models

Louisiana State Univ Agricultural Center, Baton Rouge LA

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

A & R Supplement Request for R24?OD010441 Summary Our current R24 is intended to establish reproducibility of cryopreservation results for the aquatic biomedical research community through development of novel devices that address the major problems in achieving standardization. This will improve efficiency, output, and quality. These devices are being engineered through microfabrication and 3?D printing to ensure that they are inexpensive, effective, and available through open?source file sharing. The goal is to provide a comprehensive standardized approach for cryopreservation that can enable routine participation by all members of the zebrafish research community in a form of aggregate throughput that can accommodate existing protocols, integrate novel approaches, and enable development of germplasm repository networks. This technology?development process is intended to also be suitable for other aquatic biomedical models, and compatible for use with traditional mammalian models such as mice. We have made good progress during year 1 (e.g., >10 papers published or in press) in design and prototyping of novel devices. This is grounded in our establishment of a rich interdisciplinary culture of engineering innovation directed at biological problems associated with repository development. Based on this success we have identified specific needs and bottlenecks that can be addressed to expand the throughput and scale of the current R24 project. We propose to create an Advanced Fabrication Laboratory by repurposing of a concrete structure (formerly a bull barn) currently used as a storage space (2,660 ft2) attached to our main building at the AGGRC (renovation budgeted at $123,000, see Budget Justification). We also propose to purchase large fabrication equipment ($25,000; items >$5,000) and small equipment ($25,000; $1,000?$5,000) to increase our scale and expand our capabilities. In short, this would improve our current R24 project by allowing us to: 1) efficiently increase production of effective device designs for advanced testing; 2) expand fabrication capability to produce custom parts with technologies in addition to 3?D printing (e.g., milling, thermoforming, laser engraving) and with additional materials (e.g., metal) to produce composite devices; 3) incorporate smart technology into the devices (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi, motor control), and 4) incorporate smart processing (e.g., web cameras, design file sharing) into our fabrication processes to gain greater interaction with user communities. All of these activities are contained within the scope of the current R24 project, yet would greatly increase our productivity and scale. They would also directly enable production of sample products that could be beta tested at a large scale by user groups through other funding.