Biacore T100

Arizona State University-Tempe Campus, Tempe AZ

Investigators

Abstract

[unreadable] DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This award will support the acquisition of a Biacore T100 molecular interaction analysis system at Arizona State University. The T100 instrument, which utilizes surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology, will complement the two SPR instruments currently in use on the campus, a Biacore X and a FlexChip, neither of which has the capabilities or capacity to satisfy the growing needs for characterizing molecular interactions at ASU. Growth at ASU has included a net increase of 125 tenured and tenure-track faculty during the past two years with a corresponding growth in scientific research. The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University is an exciting venture in merging of scientific disciplines, with faculty from the fields of biology, chemistry, physics, medicine, agriculture, environmental science, electronics, materials science, engineering and computing. The Biacore T100 offers the automation, improved software, and sensitivity that is required to take analysis further than is possible with either of the two instruments currently available on campus. The instrument will be housed at The Biodesign Institute, where it will be readily accessible to all PIs whose labs are located in the building, and is in close proximity to PIs located in other buildings. We plan to recruit a postdoctoral fellow with SPR experience to be the manager of the facility. The salary support for the manager will be initially shared by the major users of the instrument, but will eventually be paid from the usage fees generated by the instrument. ASU has several recoverable core facilities on campus which have operated successfully for 5-10 years (such as DNA Laboratory, Protein Chemistry Lab, EM Lab). Scheduling of the instrument will be electronic, and conflicts will be resolved by an advisory committee consisting of the PI of the grant, two major users, and one minor user. Approximately 15% of the available hours will be reserved for new and outside users. We currently have sent 6 graduate students to Biacore for training, and those labs have been able to generate preliminary data since the training. We plan to send additional personnel to training when the instrument has been delivered on campus. Though we have some access to the Biacore X, it is heavily utilized already (greater than 50% by two major users) and cannot fill the needs of our expanding faculty. Preliminary data has also been generated on the FlexChip located on campus, but further analysis requires the greater sensitivity available with a Biocore T100. Our needs have far outgrown the currently available instrument accessibility, and the purchase of the T100 will greatly advance the research schedules. Public Health Relevance: Our herein described projects encompass vaccinology, cancer and disease treatments, neurological therapies, and biodefense; an understanding of how biological molecules interact is a prerequisite to successful pursuit of answers to the relevant problems faced each day by Public Health officials globally. [unreadable] [unreadable]