This is a request for a bioimaging system that will replace the need, in many cases, for conventional methods of quantitating radiolabeled compounds, such as autoradiography and thin layer chromatography plate scraping. Besides greater convenience, the instrument provides superior sensitivity, accuracy, and rapidity. The applicability to a wide range of isotopes, such as 3H, 35, 14C, and 32P, will result in considerable savings in time and money. The system is particularly well-suited to be a multi-user resource. The initial processing of samples is done in an individual's laboratory, and only the rapid (12-20 minutes) steps of measurement and quantitation are done on the machine. Files can be archived on individual tapes and analyzed or re-analyzed at any time. Data can also be transmitted directly to a user's computer by the Internet network installed at our institution. Such an instrument will enhance the ongoing data collection and analysis in the laboratories of 14 faculty investigators (15 different departments and centers) supported by 14 Public Health Service grants. Many of the proposed applications are not feasible with the existing technology at our institution. The bioimaging system will also enhance the development of additional fundable research programs by these and other faculty.
