Source: UNIVERSITY OF GUAM UOG STATION submitted to NRP
CAPACITY IMPROVEMENT FOR AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AND MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS RESEARCH AND EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GUAM
Sponsoring Institution
National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Project Status
COMPLETE
Funding Source
OTHER GRANTS
Reporting Frequency
Annual
Accession No.
1023505
Grant No.
2020-70004-32393
Cumulative Award Amt.
$170,963.00
Proposal No.
2020-02203
Multistate No.
(N/A)
Project Start Date
Sep 1, 2020
Project End Date
Aug 31, 2022
Grant Year
2020
Program Code
[AA-Q]- Resident Instruction Grants for Insular Areas
Recipient Organization
UNIVERSITY OF GUAM UOG STATION
(N/A)
MANGILAO,GU 96913
Performing Department
CNAS
Non Technical Summary
The project, Capacity Improvement for Agricultural Biotechnology and Molecular Diagnostics Research and Education at the University of Guam, is proposed to create a common space for student and faculty researchers to conduct molecular and genetic studies on Guam. Current molecular lab facilities available to researchers at the Western Pacific Tropical Research Center and UOG students in food, agriculture, natural resources, and human sciences (FANH) are limited for both bench space and sample throughput, as well as in-house expertise. Researchers have generally, in the past, contracted out (i.e., off-island) services for molecular diagnostics and genetic studies but this has resulted in a lack of experiential training for undergraduate and graduate student researchers at UOG. The longer-term impact of this will be a restriction in the potential employment of native Pacific Islanders to serve Guam and Micronesia's future FANH science needs and research capacity. The specific objectives of the proposed project are to (1) procure and install or repair the equipment detailed and (2) create lab space for common-use lab equipment and bench experiments. This will allow hands-on, practical experiences for undergraduate and graduate students in agriculture. Long-term, we intend to develop a core facility to train UOG student interns and a central, certified molecular diagnostic lab where researchers and clients across the Western Pacific can submit samples for diagnostic testing for disease and quarantine organisms. The intended core facility will also allow us to develop new course-based learning objectives and modules in agricultural biotechnology such as marker-assisted selection (MAS) for plant and animal breeding, and molecular disease diagnostics for detection of invasive species.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)Subject of Investigation (SOI)Field of Science (FOS)Percent
90274101040100%
Knowledge Area
902 - Administration of Projects and Programs;

Subject Of Investigation
7410 - General technology;

Field Of Science
1040 - Molecular biology;
Goals / Objectives
The major goals of this project are (A) to develop a common lab space for student and faculty researchers to conduct genetic analyses in agriculture, food, and natural resource sciences, and (B) to generate a central, certified molecular diagnostic lab for detection of disease and quarantine organisms of importance to agriculture and aquaculture in Guam and the Western Pacific region. This project's specific objectives are (1) to procure and install or repair the equipment listed below and (2) to create lab space for common-use lab equipment and bench experiments.Common-use lab equipmentrefrigerated benchtop centrifugenucleic acid spectrophotometermolecular biology-grade water purification systemflake ice makerthermal cyclersenvironmental chamberRepair and certification of Class II biosafety cabinetImprovement to electrical load capacity in the common-use lab to stabilize A/C units and lab equipment
Project Methods
The specific objectives of the project are (1) procure and install or repair the equipment listed and (2) create lab space for common-use lab equipment and bench experiments. In order to complete these objectives, we propose to fund a part-time Grants Assistant III. This staff member may be funded up to full-time employment status by other grants and/or researchers. The project team will hold update meetings at least once monthly to review budget and timeline of delivery of items and services. The PI will have supervisory oversight for the Grants Assistant III who will focus primarily on procurement, receiving and reporting. The PI and co-PI together will guide the GAIII on technical specifications for the proposed equipment and contractual services. However, PI and co-PI contributions and work effort will NOT be held to this grant budget. The grant will be administered through the Research Corporation of the University of Guam (RCUOG).

Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/22

Outputs
Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems:The shipment of equipment, supplies, and materials was more challenging to be arranged since many flights and/or cargoes were canceled due to the covid19 pandemic. In addition, the shipping costs were much higher than before. Some necessary changes were made to get the equipment from either on-island vendors orvendors who could ship the order to us in a timely manner. The originally budgeted professional repair and certification of Class II biosafety cabinet from off-island technicians were unable to be arranged because of pandemic-related impediments for travel, andno local service available on Guam. The thermal cyclers allow researchers to process 96 samples at once which also provide gradient control to allow temperature optimization for nucleic acid amplification. These items replaced two MWG Biotech Primus 25-well thermal cyclers for which repair and maintenance services are no longer supported. The plant chamber initially ordered could not bedelivered to Guam as scheduled even with the one-year extension for the project so that we have to cancel it and replace with other general research supplies foragriculture/aquaculture students' education and research.? What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?The project has ended.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? During the reporting period, thirteen pieces of laboratory equipment were ordered: Refrigerated centrifuge and rotor package, Flake ice-making machine, Water purification system, NanoDrop One, Benchtop autoclave, Stereo microscope, Compound microscope, Two thermal cyclers and two MacBook Pro computers, Hach Block Digestor, Variable volume pipettes, Water pumps and air diffusors. Justifications of the equipment usage are as follows, The refrigerated centrifuge will accommodate a wide range of sample sizes and plate formats typically used in molecular and microbiology applications. It will replace a clinical centrifuge without refrigeration. This refrigerated model can handle heat-sensitive nucleic acids and proteins, which provides centrifugation speed up to 20,900g max RCF. The flake ice-making machine supplies flake ice for laboratory use. Flake ice is the best suited for maintaining samples and tubes chilled in ice water baths during lab processing for nucleic acid isolation and genetic analysis. The water purification system provides molecular biology grade water which is critical for various genetic analyses and molecular diagnostic tests. The NanoDrop One is used for nucleic acid quantification and purity analysis in the preparation of samples for genetic analysis. The benchtop autoclave is necessary for sterilizing laboratory glassware and media for culturing microalgae and general laboratory use. The stereo and compound microscopes are necessary for routine research and laboratory use. The MacBook Pro computers are used for data management and genetic analysis as mobile workstations at the laboratories. Hach Block Digestor for sample treatment and processing, is planned to be ordered instead of the service for the general lab capacity improvement. The variable volume pipettes will be used for pipetting during pre-PCR, post-PCR stages. Water pumps and air diffusors to provide oxygen for rearing the aquatic organisms with supplies so that the experiment system can be set up.

Publications


    Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21

    Outputs
    Target Audience: Nothing Reported Changes/Problems:The shipment of equipment, supplies, and materials was more challenging to be arranged as many flights/cargo were canceled due to the covid19 pandemic. In addition, the shipping costs were much higher than before. The originally budgeted professional repair and certification of Class II biosafety cabinet from off-island technicians were unable to be arranged because of pandemic-related impediments for travel, and becaause there is no local service available on Guam. Therefore another major lab equipment, a Hach Block Digestor for sample treatment and processing, is planned to be ordered instead of the service for the general lab capacity improvement. One year no-cost extension for the project was requested because of several delayed shipments or backorders from the multiple vendors. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided? Nothing Reported How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Nothing Reported What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?One year no-cost extension was requested and approved. We will continue to follow up the orders to increase the laboratorial capacity during this challenging time of COVID-19 pandemics,

    Impacts
    What was accomplished under these goals? During the reporting period, 13 pieces of laboratory equipment were ordered. The equipment were{: Refrigerated centrifuge and rotor package, Flake ice-making machine, Water purification system, NanoDrop One, Benchtop autoclave, Stereo microscope, Compound microscope, Two thermal cyclers and two MacBook Pro computers. We are waitign for deliverya rotor for the refrigerated centrifuge, plant growth chamber, and variable volume pipettes. Justifications of the equipment usage are as follows: The refrigerated centrifuge will accommodate a wide range of sample sizes and plate formats typically used in molecular and microbiology applications. It will replace a clinical centrifuge without refrigeration. This refrigerated model can handle heat-sensitive nucleic acids and proteins, which provides centrifugation speed up to 20,900g max RCF. The flake ice-making machine supplies flake ice for laboratory use. Flake ice is the best suited for maintaining samples and tubes chilled in ice water baths during lab processing for nucleic acid isolation and genetic analysis. The water purification system provides molecular biology grade water which is critical for various genetic analyses and molecular diagnostic tests. The NanoDrop One is used for nucleic acid quantification and purity analysis in the preparation of samples for genetic analysis. The benchtop autoclave is necessary for sterilizing laboratory glassware and media for culturing microalgae and general laboratory use. The stereo and compound microscopes are necessary for routine research and laboratory use. The thermal cyclers allow researchers to process 96 samples at once and also provide gradient control to allow temperature optimization for nucleic acid amplification. These items replaced two MWG Biotech Primus 25-well thermal cyclers for which repair and maintenance services are no longer supported. The MacBook Pro computers are used for data management and genetic analysis as mobile workstations at the laboratories. The plant growth chamber allows WPTRC researchers and student interns to study plant growth and disease development under controlled environmental conditions for light, temperature, and humidity. The chamber can also be used as needed for isolating the pathogens of study. The variable volume pipettes will be used for pipetting during pre-PCR, post-PCR stages.

    Publications