Increasing capacity and capability of shared biochemistry/biomedical science instrumentation through acquisition of modern, high-speed centrifuges - Project Summary This proposal requests the acquisition of Avanti JXN26 centrifuges equipped with rotors to modernize the Biochemistry Protein Production and Purification (BioP3) Core at Georgia Southern University (GS). Access to these modern centrifuges with increased capabilities including higher speeds (up to 80,000 rcf) and higher capacities (up to 6 x 1 L) than existing centrifuges within the core will tremendously enhance the research capabilities of BioP3 users, as well as increase the productivity and efficiency of the current users of this shared research core. The core is housed in the Department of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Physics (BCP) within the College of Science and Mathematics (COSM). The COSM Core Research Laboratories (CCRL) is a collection of core services and high-end instrumentation that help maintain and manage shared instrumentation across the college. BioP3 works within the CCRL model ensuring that there is continued support such as in terms of maintenance and daily operations and promoting the use of core services within the college. Currently, the BioP3 core primarily is used in the production of soluble proteins and pelleting of bacteria for various applications serving primarily biochemists and biomedical scientists within BCP and the Department of Biology. The PI, lead of BioP3 and one of the major users of the core, is an NIH-funded structural biologist in the area of cancer drug discovery. Three other-NIH funded investigators will be directly affected by this modernization. The production and high purity recombinant proteins is critical in several areas of biomedical research including structural biology, protein engineering, and drug discovery. Thus, the immediate goal of this proposal is to improve the support infrastructure for current users by providing the core with up to 6-fold theoretical improvement in its efficiency. Acquisition of these centrifuges also immediately enables areas with urgent needs including research involving isolation of membrane proteins and subcellular organelles and purification of viral particles. Current researchers in these areas actively seek NIH, NSF, EPA, and DoD funding and a modernized support facility will only improve their ability to compete for these grants. The long-term objectives of this proposal are i) to ensure the continued success of currently funded investigators, ii) to better support the research of early career investigators (two of the NIH-funded PIs are ECI), iii) to enable other high-impact research currently not accessible with limited centrifugation capabilities, and iv) to contribute to the success of the biomedical research enterprise within Georgia Southern University and the Southeastern region of Georgia. Modernization of BioP3 is in line with the current growth in the biomedical space at GS including the opening of the medical school (with Medical College of GA), the BS in Biomedical Sciences in Fall 2025 (and a planned PhD by Fall 2026), and other initiatives that aim to support and enhance biomedical research in South Georgia.
