An award is made to The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) to purchase a NanoString GeoMx Digital Spatial Profiler (DSP) system which affords the unique capacity for sensitive detection of >40 proteins or 96 RNAs (up to 1000-plex) in situ in tissue sections. Acquisition of the GeoMx DSP system at UTSA as shared instrumentation will enable use of a state-of-the-art research instrument by scientists, engineers, and students at all levels (high-school, undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral). Use of the instrumentation by underrepresented minority trainees in several programs and courses will help to broaden their participation in modern research endeavors. The GeoMx DSP system will be used by hundreds of research trainees/personnel and students enrolled in organized courses to provide them with training in cutting-edge technology, pique their interest in research, and maximize their marketability for careers in academic and industrial science. Ultimately, this resource will be integrated with existing teaching and outreach programs to promote learning using real-world experimentation and discovery. Use in outreach activities will help expand scientific literacy among members of our society.
The NanoString GeoMx DSP system addresses a major limitation of contemporary ‘omics-level molecular biology research by permitting high-throughput detection of proteins or RNAs in tissue sections. Highly multiplexed, spatial detection of proteins or RNAs will facilitate interpretation of basic biological processes indicated by protein or gene expression within, rather than to the exclusion of, the context of complex tissue architecture. This instrumentation will be housed within the existing UTSA Genomics Core which is already equipped with instrumentation for high-throughput bulk or single-cell ‘omics studies. Thus, the addition of the GeoMx DSP will be optimally situated to benefit investigators in multiple departments within the College of Science and College of Engineering at UTSA, as well as various academic institutions across San Antonio and South Texas. UTSA investigators will use this instrument to ask transformative questions on broad basic biology research topics including germline stem cell niche biology, cerebral organoid models of brain development, vascularization in tissue engineered constructs, chemosensory neuronal circuitry, arthropod vector tolerance, bioengineering of skeletal muscle replacements, and mechanisms of insect olfaction. These uses reflect experiments that could not otherwise be undertaken without the GeoMx DSP, demonstrating the transformative nature of this instrumentation. Results from the research performed with this instrumentation will be disseminated in peer-reviewed scientific journal publications and at scientific meetings.
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.
