Cell death detection platform.

We request funding for two basic infrastructure equipment to measure cell death along any other biochemical parameter that is crucial to determine the mode of cell death such as caspase activation, reactive oxygen species, calcium, mitochondrial membrane potential, lysosomal leakage and lipid peroxidation: 1) FLUOstar® Omega plate reader with atmospheric control unit and 2) BD Accuri C6 Plus personal flow cytometer. These two instruments are perfectly complementary, while the Fluostar provides average values measured on cell populations seeded in any plate up to 384-well plates, the Accuri analyzes at the single cell level allowing to detect heterogenous responses. If the transition from Pathophysiology lab (headed by Patrick D'Haese until 2020) to Cell Death and Inflammation research lab (headed by Tom Vanden Berghe from 2020 onwards) is to proceed smoothly, the investment in this basic but crucial equipment to analyze cell death and related biochemical features is highly needed. Investment in the cell death platform at UAntwerp will boost the recently initiated collaborations in the field of cell death research at UAntwerp. Cell death research is highly present but scattered within the Faculties of FBD and GGW, therefore we initiated monthly sessions of the Cell Death Hot Talks (supported by the OEC Infla-Med). These sessions will (i) increase the exchange on ongoing cell death research, (ii) lead to sharing tools and (iii) boost potential collaborations. Along this line of sharing cell death related expertise and tools, there is a high need to setup a platform to measure and type the mode of cell death within the faculties of FBD and GGW. This investment fits well in the long-term strategic plan in which cell death is one of the four research clusters within the Department of Biomedical Sciences. Moreover, the cell death platform could be instrumental as a steppingstone to make cell death an Emerging Frontline Research Domain.

Keywords:OXIDATIVE DAMAGE, INFLAMMATION, CELL FATE

Disciplines:Cell death and senescence, Cell death, Inflammation