This application requests funds for the purchase of a cell sorter that will be part of a flow cytometry core facility located on the Bayview Medical Campus of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. This request is driven by the scientific demand for cell sorting capability and multi-parameter flow cytometry by a core group of investigators. At the present time cell sorting is not available on this campus site and the acquisition of this instrumentation will have a major impact on current and future research programs. Within this proposal, 11 major and 3 minor users located on the Bayview Campus describe their research activities and how these will benefit from the requested cell sorter. The research areas include: mechanisms of allergic disease, mast cell immunobiology, immune mechanisms in aging, induction and regulation of autoimmunity, mucosal and innate immune mechanisms in infection and immunopathology of lung transplantation. The instrument we are proposing to purchase is a FACSAria cell sorter manufactured by Becton-Dickenson. This instrument will be equipped with four solid-state lasers, a 488nm argon, 638 HeNe, 407 UV and a 355UV. In addition the instrument will be equipped with an automatic cell deposition unit and an aerosol containment device. The instrument, lasers and accessories were chosen to meet the multiparameter and cell sorting needs of the user group. The instrument will be part of a recently established flow cytometry core facility on the Johns Hopkins Bayview Campus and will meet the flow cytometry needs of that research community. The facility will be staffed by a full time manager/operator and will be overseen by a facility director and an advisory committee. The establishment of this facility will be supported through institutional seed investment for the initial three years and includes resources for staffing, supplies and service contracts. A long-range fiscal plan is also planned that will allow the facility to be self-sustaining. Collectively the establishment of this facility and the acquisition of cell sorting capability will enhance a number of established biomedical research areas relevant to public health including asthma and allergy, autoimmunity, pulmonary function, aging and infectious diseases. ? ? ?
