The Institute of Marine Science at the University of Alaska will further develop flow cytometric techniques for marine biology and oceanography. The Institute has been instrumental in adapting flow cytometry, a technology developed for use in the biomedical research community, for ocean science research. With this technique, a stream of bacteria, cells, or other microscopic particles is passed through a laser light beam. Different cells and particles can be enumerated and classified according to how they fluoresce or react in response to the laser light. Analysis of the fluoresced signal can yield important information on cell size, cellular constituents, and metabolic condition. This effort will continue to focus on using flow cytometry for studying marine bacteria. Work will continue on developing appropriate flow cytometry standards and protocols. The laboratory will also be available for use by guest investigators. Coordination with industry will promote further development and modifications to basic flow cytometry instrumentation for oceanographic research. Improvements and modifications will be directed towards expanding dynamic range of the instrument and increasing sensitivity. Methods for determining protein content per cell and membrane potential will also be explored.
