GRANTS. Six applications have been granted ALF funding totaling SEK 12.4 million to purchase heavy equipment for clinical research in 2022. The purchase of a spectral flow cytometer and an advanced mass spectrometer for high-resolution translational and clinical proteomics account for much of the funds. Researchers hope that both instruments can be made available through Core Facilities.
A number of researchers at several of Sahlgrenska Academy’s institutes and research departments submitted the application to purchase a spectral flow cytometer. The instrument enables a higher level of characterization of the phenotype of cells, even in a very small sample.
“Unlike standard flow cytometry, this instrument can capture the entire range of fluorophores, which means that we can use overlapping antibodies together. It will be possible to stain samples with nearly fifty antibodies at the same time,” says Davide Angeletti, a postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
“Another advantage is that conventional antibodies, which are used for flow cytometry, can also be used for spectral flow cytometry. So there is no need to buy specialized reagents.”
Available to everyone
The researchers responsible for the application will receive SEK 3.7 million to purchase the equipment, which they hope to place within Core Facilities so that it will be widely available to researchers.
For Davide Angeletti’s team, the instrument will be most useful in ongoing COVID-19 research:
“We have limited and valuable patient material, and we are currently using an 18-color panel to study B cells to maximize the information we can obtain from each sample. This alone is technically challenging; yet, we would like to add more markers to collect even more information. With the spectral flow cytometer, we can easily supplement our B-cell panel and even include a T-cell phenotyping panel from the same amount of samples. Amazing!”
Leading instrument for analysis of proteins
The Proteomics Core Facility (PCF) will also be able to purchase a leading instrument, allowing an upgrade of its equipment. Carina Sihlbom, the lead applicant, is the head of office at PCF, which has been awarded SEK 3.6 million for the purchase. The instrument is an Orbitrap Eclipse Tribrid MS, which will provide the research team even higher quality data and with better selectivity and sensitivity.
“Openness is a key characteristic of the units within the Core Facility. When this new analysis equipment is installed at PCF, it will be available to all researchers, especially within Sahlgrenska Academy and Region Västra Götaland,” says Sihlbom.
Cutting edge research
Quantifying proteins has been part of about 40 per cent of the studies conducted at the unit over the past three years. As a result, Sihlbom believes that upgrading the current version of the Orbitrap instrument will lead to better results and be in demand.
“It is extremely important for us to be able to offer analyses with the most sensitive and high-performing analytical instruments by driving research forward with cutting edge equipment and continuing to publish the results in high-impact journals.”
Available in 2022
The upgrade will make it possible to identify low-expression proteins more easily. New mass filters will also provide better selectivity and sensitivity, which means that data matching can occur in real time during the analysis for increased dynamic range and accuracy.
“The instrument will be installed during the latter part of 2022. Researchers can then register their projects via the facility’s website after initial discussions with us about the number of samples and how sample materials are to be collected,” says Sihlbom.
BY: CHARBEL SADER & ELIN LINDSTRÖM
