This amended proposal is for a high performance gel and blot imager. The new instrument, General Electric-Amersham Biosciences Typhoon 9400, has three methods of detection (storage phosphor, fluorescence and chemiluminescence) and will serve as the only high sensitivity quantitative instrument for low abundance targets for multiple users in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH), Center for Clinical Pharmacology, McGowan Institute Regenerative Medicine (MIRM) and Molecular Medicine Institute (MMI). The rationale for this request includes: a) EOH relocated to a new research (Cellomics) building at our Bridgeside Point site 1.5 miles from the main medical campus where the two current phosphoimagers are located; b) Center Clinical Pharmacology, MIRM and MMI are current occupants of the Cellomics Building and Biotechnology Center at the Bridgeside Point site and along with EOH have increased their emphasis on the utilization of molecular biological approaches that routinely require access to a broad based platform of high sensitivity and significant dynamic range; c) Typhoon 9400 will be a valuable platform for the training of pre- and postdoctoral students; d) subtle features of this instrument including 3 laser fluorescence should assure its utility in the future; and e) the short scanning time of the instrument enhances its multiuser capability by allowing more time consuming analysis to be done in individual laboratories. Applications with Typhoon 9400 include fluorescent DNA gel stain, 2-color fluorescent differential display, fluorescent protein gel stain, fluorescent multiplex PCR and Western blot analyses, imaging 2-D gels and chemiluminescence detection of proteins, phosphor imaging of radioisotopes for Northern blot and in situ hybridization. This enabling technology will advance fundamental research in environmental health sciences, regenerative medicine, clinical pharmacology and gene therapy and thereby facilitate broad based efforts in many aspects of medicine and public health. ? ? ?
