MRI-R2 Acquisition: Establishment of a Core Facility for the Hierarchical Analysis of Bone

Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown OH

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). With support from the National Science Foundation, the Skeletal Biology Research Focus Area (SBRFA) centered at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy (NEOUCOM) will acquire three major research instruments: 1) a high-resolution CT scanner (Scanco vivaCT75 µCT scanner); 2) a machine to test the strength of bone and other tissues (Instron ElectroPuls E3000 Universal Testing Machine) and 3) a machine to quantify DNA expression levels (Applied Biosystems 7900HT Real-Time PCR system). While the SBRFA has strong support from NEOUCOM and the state of Ohio in terms of space and faculty, the equipment will fill a major gap in the focus area by establishing state-of-the-art core facilities for studying bone and cartilage biology. The equipment will help the focus area reach its full potential in collaborative and integrative research and training in skeletal biology. The uniqueness of the SBRFA relative to other skeletal research groups throughout the country is its integrated perspective on studying skeletal biology. SBRFA researchers study bone and cartilage across all levels of organization from molecular pathways to the evolution of whole organisms. The equipment will initially support 13 projects studying bone that are either ongoing or in preliminary stages. Most projects are collaborative and will incorporate more than one instrument. In fact, SBRFA researchers identified the equipment to promote integrative studies of bone form (CT scanner), performance (UTM) and molecular processes (RT-PCR). The CT scanner will be involved in scanning objects ranging from fossil skeletons to artificial fingers that have been bioengineered to replace amputated elements. The UTM will be integrated with CT scanning in studying the relationships between bone form and strength. Finally, the real-time PCR system will identify molecular events that occur as bone responds to loading as well as novel applications documenting gene expression during skeletal development. Current funding for these projects spans four NSF divisions, demonstrating the breadth of research in the focus area. Because SBRFA researchers transcend several subfields of skeletal biology in their collaborative efforts, the research projects facilitated by the instrumentation have the potential to generate novel findings that cross traditional disciplines in skeletal biology. The establishment of core facilities with these three major pieces of instrumentation will promote research training for postdoctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate students as well as junior faculty affiliated with the SBRFA. The instrumentation will facilitate collaboration among SBRFA members at NEOUCOM and affiliated institutions through shared access to these facilities designed for cross-disciplinary research. Moreover, regional collaborations will be enhanced through alliance with the Austen BioInnovation Institute in Akron, OH - a developing project among five regional institutions (including NEOUCOM) dedicated to revolutionizing research, economic development and healthcare in northeastern Ohio. Specific benefits to graduate education will focus on training students to research scientific questions using a multi-disciplinary toolkit. Undergraduate research experiences will be enhanced by new research opportunities. Finally, the instrumentation will be incorporated into community outreach through "hands-on" programs supported by participating SBRFA faculty that expose K-12 students in northeastern Ohio to the scientific research process.