Project Summary/Abstract Researchers at the University of Puerto Rico Medical Sciences Campus (UPR MSC) are proposing to purchase a BD FACSymphony A1TM flow cytometer with 4 lasers that can detect up to 19 different parameters in cells and/or particles that include size, complexity and fluorescent-tagged markers. The associated BDFACSDiva software has the capacity to quantify 16 different cell types from complex single-cell suspensions, as per the experimental and teaching needs of faculty and residents, and graduate, medical, and undergraduate students at the UPR MSC. UPR MSC is the only public institution in Puerto Rico offering a comprehensive academic program in health-related sciences and plays a leadership role in teaching and training underrepresented minority students (>98% Hispanic) and in conducting research on health problems of the Puerto Rican population. This equipment is sorely needed because currently, the whole campus only has 2 flow cytometers in individual laboratories at the biomedical research building: BD FACSCelesta analyzer with 2 lasers and a MACS Quant 16 from Miltenyi. These flow cytometers are heavily used by the independent laboratories and are only available for collaborative research, and not for independent research or educational use. Both cytometers are different and require distinct training, thus the users do not have an alternative when one instrument is unexpectedly out of commission. The PI’s NIH and DoD/US Army funded research on experimental cancer therapeutics relies heavily on analyzing immune cells in the tumor microenvironment from mouse and human blood and tissues. The PI’s close collaborator and co-investigator of this proposal, Dr. Dorta-Estremera, a cancer immunologist, is a young investigator with multiple NIH-funded developmental grants, focused on studying immunotherapy responses and the tumor microenvironment in Hispanic cancer patients, that require quantification of immune cell populations via flow cytometry. The other users also have projects on identifying immune cell populations in cancer, as well as in infections (HIV), autoimmune (colitis), and neurodegenerative (Alzheimer’s) diseases. Dr. Dorta is highly experienced with flow cytometry analysis and will play a lead role in training students and faculty and maintenance of the instrument. The flow cytometer will be housed in a dedicated space in a core facility at the UPR MSC main building that will be accessible to all faculty and students. The institutional benefit is the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment that will support health-related research projects from both senior and junior faculty and will be an important tool to forward their career development and generate data for grant proposals and publications. The equipment is also expected to serve as a teaching tool for students and residents to gain expertise in this high-end technology. Overall, acquisition of the flow cytometer will forward our broad long-term objectives of understanding the role of immune and inflammatory mechanisms in cancer, and infectious, immune, and neurodegenerative diseases and address health disparities, as well as reinforce our research resources to advance the science and research capabilities in Puerto Rico.

Project narrative Our immune system has evolved to combat diseases via diverse and multifaceted mechanisms; however, certain immune cells can become self-destructive and promote disease conditions such as autoimmune, cancer, cardiovascular, inflammatory, and central nervous system disorders. The proposed purchase of a flow cytometer will allow a comprehensive analysis of immune and diseased cell populations, extracellular vesicles, and cell surface and intracellular proteins to identify functional and dysfunctional cell characteristics and forward our understanding of the role of the immune system in human disease as well as advance research capabilities in Puerto Rico.