Typhoon FLA9500 Biomedical Imager

Jackman, Jane

Abstract

The application seeks funds to purchase a GE Typhoon FLA 9500 imager. The typhoon imagers are high performance laser scanners, ideally suited for quantifying nucleic acids, proteins, and other biomolecules. A multidisciplinary group of 7 users (5 with current NIH funding), as well as 10 minor users (6 with current NIH funding), currently depends on this imager for their research. An older GE Typhoon trio is jointly owned and maintained by the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University. However, this aging instrument frequently breaks down, and will no longer be serviced by the manufacturer after the end of 2016, making it difficult, if not impossible to obtain replacement parts after this date. With its improved sensitivity, larger scanning areas, and additional lasers, the GE Typhoon FLA 9500 imager will enhance ongoing research and ensure that it can continue without interruption. Numerous NIH-funded research projects rely on use of the typhoon imager to investigate mechanisms of essential RNA processing and repair enzymes, Salmonella colonization resistance, processing of pre-tRNAs in the brain, DNA replication and repair by translesion synthesis, metal ion homeostasis, RNA-induced silencing, and RNA surveillance. Access to the proposed Typhoon FLA-9500 imager is essential for the success of this NIH-funded research.

Public Health Relevance

The purchase of a Typhoon biomedical imager will enable researchers at Ohio State University to investigate enzymes and pathways that synthesize and/or repair important biomolecules such as DNA, RNA or proteins. Since maintaining high quality pools of these biomolecules is critical for the health and viability of biological systems, this research will provide insight into mechanisms of and possible treatments for a variety of human diseases, such as cancer and metabolic disorders.