This proposal is for the purchase of a Bio-Rad Bio-Plex 200 Multiplex Array System with high throughput fluidics. The Bio-Plex will be used for basic and translational research in the Departments of Medicine, Pathology, Pediatrics, and Microbiology/Immunology within the Indiana University School of Medicine (IUSOM). Eight major users with NIH funded projects that can benefit from the Bio-Plex are part of this proposal and include: Drs. Orschell, Srour, and Broxmeyer studying hematopoietic stem cell biology, transplantation, and gene therapy, Drs. Kapur, Clapp, Turchi, and Flockhart, who investigate cancer mechanisms, treatments, and DNA repair, and Dr. Vidal who is focused on neurodegenerative brain diseases. These users currently employ methodologies that detect cytokines, chemokines, nucleic acids, specific protein phosphorylation, SNPs, and gene expression that can easily be adapted to more efficient multiplex analyses using the Bio-Plex. These users will comprise more than 75% of the usage of the Bio-Plex, and plans are in place to recruit other users should this application be funded. There is one Luminex 100 multiplex analyzer on our campus, but it is heavily utilized already and thus unavailable for our use. The Bio-Plex 200 will be housed in the existing Flow Cytometry Resource Facility (FCRF) under the direction of Dr. Srour and the excellent technical staff of the FCRF. The FCRF is a core facility in good standing within the IUSOM, and already has many of the administrative policies governing scientific oversight and management of its instruments already in place. The FCRF utilizes a user charge-back system to cover operational costs of the facility, and is thus self-sufficient financially. The IUSOM fully supports this proposal and the future of the FCRF, as evidenced by construction of a new centralized Research building where the FCRF will soon be located. It is expected that the Bio-Plex will greatly aid the research endeavors of not only the major users listed in this proposal, but also many other scientists within the IUSOM who will use the Bio-Plex to more efficiently generate data for current and future grant applications. Thus, the Bio-Plex will play an important role in furthering the mission of the IUSOM to promote basic, translational and clinical research in the causes, diagnosis, prevention, and cure of cancer and other diseases in order to improve health and well being of the Nation.
