MRI: Acquisition of Flow Cytometric Analyzer for Research and Training at Howard University

Howard University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Flow cytometry is a powerful platform for fluorescence measurement of numerous parameters in individual particles, cells, or subcellular components. This NSF MRI award provides funds for the purchase of a 3 laser 10-paramter high throughput flow cytometric analyzer at Howard University (HU). The university-wide accessible instrument will markedly improve research infrastructure across many STEM disciplines. Importantly, the instrument will enhance ongoing research in multi- and interdisciplinary fields that intersect with the biological sciences. The flow cytometric analyzer will better serve research activities and attract new users whose needs cannot be met with the tools presently in use. The equipment will open new opportunities to HU investigators and provides a conduit for university-wide collaborations. This will serve to enhance research infrastructure and expand the breadth of studies employed in biological investigations. Principal investigators, post-doctoral fellows, graduate and undergraduate student researchers at Howard University and collaborating institutions will greatly benefit from the acquired instrument. Campus-wide workshops will engage and educate the HU community to incorporate upper-level research design and methods. Furthermore, these linked-activities will promote initiatives for engaging women and underrepresented minorities in STEM research. The acquired flow cytometric analyzer will become a staple in routine multi-user research studies and integrate quantitative and qualitative science and engineering approaches to advancing knowledge in biological disciplines. Although initially used for biomedical science, the transformative potential of flow cytometry has provided the natural sciences with means to study the properties of both living and non-living samples. Further advancements in technology and configurability have extended the range of analytical evaluation on a single cell level. These advances have expanded the user base from traditional cell and molecular biologists to nanomaterial scientists and bioengineers. Utilizing the vast assortment of available fluorescently-labeled reagents, Howard University researchers will engage in wide-ranging meritorious research. Scientists and engineers will collectively measure: a) cell cycle and DNA fragmentation; b) apoptosis and cell viability, c) differential expression of protein, lipids, and carbohydrates; d) presence of parasitic invasion in host cells; e) bacteria viability and enumeration; and f) phosphorylation vs. total protein content. Twenty-four (24) researchers will be active in use of the campus-wide multi-user instrument. The diversity, sensitivity, and specificity of their studies will be significantly enhanced by using the flow cytometric analyzer?s multiple parameters and high throughput processing applications. These features afford Howard University faculty and collaborating researchers a robust and powerful measure for organic and inorganic phenomena. The science generated from the instrument usage will lead to better understanding of biological underpinnings and development of innovative applications in basic and applied sciences.