An award is made to Humboldt State University (HSU) to acquire a Fluidigm Juno/Biomark system. The Juno/Biomark consists of a real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) instrument and a controller designed to load a variety of microfluidic arrays. PCR is a fast method of copying small segments of DNA critical to molecular and genetic analysis. The instrument supports a diverse set of applications, including gene expression, SNP genotyping, mutant detection, and absolute quantification of nucleic-acid sequences utilizing digital PCR. The key feature of the instrumentation are microfluidic arrays that allow thousands of nanoliter reactions to be run in parallel. Several different microfluidic arrays are available, thus the instrument can support users with low as well as high-throughput needs. The instrument will be housed in the College of Natural Resources and Sciences Core Facility, a shared-use laboratory for teaching and research. The Juno/Biomark will serve as a centerpiece for training undergraduate and graduate students in the sciences, including those in the Stem Cell Biology training program and laboratory sections of Behavioral Neuroscience, Cellular Neuroscience, Conservation Genetics, Genetics, and Animal Physiology. Since HSU is a Hispanic Serving Institution, and has a high concentration of Native American students, this project will enable education and training of underrepresented groups with advanced genetic techniques. Collaboration with local teachers and their students at Hoopa High School (in the Hoopa Tribal Nation), McKinleyville High School, and the Redwood Science Institute, an institute which provides training for high school teachers, will provide opportunities for high school students to use this cutting-edge instrument.
The Juno/Biomark system will be used by a broad range of researchers across multiple departments and scientific disciplines (Biology, Fisheries, Wildlife, and Psychology) at HSU. The hallmark of the instrumentation is its capacity to support a diversity of applications and its versatility to accommodate different throughput needs, including high-throughput options. Researchers Andrew Kinziger, Sean Craig, Ehtan Gahtan, Micaela Szykman Gunther, Brian Tissot, Darren Ward, Margaret Wilzbach, Jianmin Zhong and colleagues will use the instrumentation to conduct investigations in the areas of conservation and management of fishes, ecology and evolution of invasive species, behavioral neuroscience, behavior and social interactions of mammals, conservation ecology of marine fishes and invertebrates, and detection and control of tick-borne diseases. The new instrumentation will enhance existing research programs and allow investigations that are essentially impossible with existing equipment. The Juno/Biomark system will substantially improve research infrastructure at HSU and the region by providing access to high throughput genetic capabilities to a rural area of northern California far from other universities with comparable instrumentation.
