MRI: Acquisition of a High-throughput Flow Cytometry for Health Science Research and Training

Suny At Binghamton, Binghamton NY

Investigators

Abstract

This Major Research Instrumentation award supports the acquisition of a high performance, high-throughput, and multicolor fluorescence cell analyzer at Binghamton University. The acquisition of this instrument will help Binghamton University investigators to perform research in developing new technologies for regenerative medicine, drug delivery, cancer early diagnosis, 3D bioprinting, muscular dystrophy associated multicellular lesions, cancer vaccine formulations for cancer immunotherapy, and high-throughput screening of anti-cancer agents. These studies will advance fields such as tissue engineering, pharmacology, regenerative medicine, cell biology, drug discovery, and protein sciences. This added research infrastructure will spur more collaborations in educational programs and will enhance a number of biological and health science courses. New courses and workshops will be developed to provide new education and training opportunities to both graduate and undergraduate students. Annual campus-wide open-house events will be held to reach out to K-12 students and local communities, especially to those from underrepresented groups. The multicolor fluorescence cell analyzer will be configured with five lasers covering wavelengths from UV to infrared for detecting 23 different colors simultaneously. Its high-throughput configuration will allow the automated completion of 96-well plate analysis within 15 minutes and with less than 0.5% sample carryover from one well to the next. The addition of these new capabilities will empower Binghamton University's investigators to pursue new research directions and to expand their research and education programs. Furthermore, the acquisition of the cell analyzer will foster Binghamton University's collaboration with hospitals and industries to accelerate the translation of health science discoveries into commercial products. The studies conducted through this project will offer new insights into fundamental understanding of biological systems, leading to the development of new technologies for improving human health. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.