NSF Award
2319905
An award is made to the University of Memphis to support the acquisition of a BD FACSMelody Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) for a shared, multiuser facility. The FACS will enhance a broad range of multidisciplinary and collaborative research among the University of Memphis and Memphis area research institutions and enrich the training of the next generation of biologists. This instrument will enable researchers to separate cell populations based on specific cell surface markers or cell size and evaluate them for specific cellular functions. The FACS will allow current researchers to address exciting new basic science and help to attract future researchers thus improving the capacity to perform cutting-edge research at the University of Memphis. The acquisition and use of this instrument will strengthen connections with the Memphis Zoo and provide educational opportunities to two Primarily Undergraduate Institutions and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the Memphis area. The FACS will improve research infrastructure, enhance faculty research, and expand the training of undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers in the Department of Biological Sciences, the College of Health Sciences, other STEM programs at the university, and the Memphis scientific community. The University of Memphis along with collaborating institutions serves a diverse population of trainees and the acquisition of the FACS will ensure students and postdoctoral researchers from different backgrounds will have the opportunity to learn to use the FACS instrument. The project will also enhance networking and collaborative opportunities through an annual mini-symposium and outreach activities with local institutions, including HBCUs and the Memphis Zoo. <br/><br/>The BD FACSMelody Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorter (FACS) rapidly separates cells into groups based on size and cell-surface markers that give the cell a unique set of characteristics (e.g., the insulin receptor and insulin-dependent glucose transport). This allows researchers to address a wide range of multidisciplinary biological questions including the regulation of gene expression, the evolution of adaptive changes to the environment, and how information is transferred from the outside to the inside of the cell. Projects will focus on 1) the genetic basis for morphological traits in the sunflower family; 2) changes in immune cell populations associated with obesity, aging, and disease; 3) how receptor trafficking regulates cellular responses; 4) the single cell genomic analysis of stem cells; 5) the impact of environmental toxins on skin function; 6) the analysis of gene expression in the sensory neurons of ant antennae; and 7) endangered species conservation by enhancing techniques for assisted reproduction. The work that results from this project will be shared with the scientific community through publications within peer-reviewed articles, presentations at scientific meetings, and sharing to social media.<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.
