NSF Award
2324717
An award is made to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to develop an implantable probe and recorder that continuously measures lactate in freely-moving wild animals and animals in the laboratory. Lactate plays many key roles in the body, including as a stress response signal, a fuel source, a signaling molecule and an indication of reaching maximum oxygen consumption during exercise or reaching the limit of aerobic diving in marine mammals. Despite its importance, lactate has never been continuously measured in freely-moving animals. With this device, which will also measure oxygen, glucose and temperature, researchers can continuously measure lactate and other variables in active, resting, diving or hibernating animals in the field or under controlled laboratory conditions. This new device will eliminate the impacts of having an investigator present since the implantable probe can be attached to a backpack recorder, allowing free movement of animals. The project will foster interdisciplinary collaborations between bioengineers and biologists from three different institutions and provide interdisciplinary scientific training for Ph.D. and undergraduate students and a postdoctoral fellow. Using the development of this device as a teaching tool, this project will provide unique training through a summer course on instrument development for underserved high school students in partnership with a non-profit organization. <br/><br/>This innovation project will use specialized chemical formulations and light sensing technology to develop a 0.7 mm diameter, flexible probe that provides highly accurate, rapid and continuous measurements of key parameters, including lactate and glucose. Because each sensor is based on the same measurement design, users can choose sensors specific to their research questions, providing the flexibility required for a device that will be used by a wide-range of researchers. To ensure the probe’s function for different experiments or conditions, it will be validated to meet specific criteria for response time, accuracy, signal stability, sensitivity, precision and biocompatibility. It will also be tested in different animal models and environmental conditions to ensure its applicability to a diverse range of study sites, experiments and animal models. Continuous monitoring of oxygen and lactate levels will provide a clearer and more comprehensive picture of oxygen consumption, oxygen delivery to the tissues, lactate accumulation and lactate recovery in response to varied physiological challenges and stressors. This will be a major technological breakthrough for a number of NSF biology research communities, including physiology, ecology, energetics, conservation biology and exercise science.<br/><br/>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.
