The Lab

 

The lab opened in July of 2006 on the 9th floor of the Medical Sciences Building. As of October of 2007, we will be located in the new HRIF East building with other laboratories of the Alberta Diabetes Institute. Establishment of the ‘Islet Cell Biology Laboratory’ is being funded by contributions of more than $750K from the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Together with support from the Canada Research Chairs Program, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Diabetes Association, total initial funding for the lab is in excess of $1.1 million.

 

The large microscopy/electrophysiology set-ups include:

 

1) A dual patch-clamp rig (with an EPC10-dual amplifier) for standard electrophysiology and cell-attached capacitance studies (with an SRS 830 amplifier) with epi-fluorescence. This will allow studies such as ion channel measurements and whole-cell exocytosis, as well as more advanced techniques such as cell-cell coupling, double patching and single vesicle/fusion pore studies.

2) A laser TIRF system, combined with standard patch-clamp. This will allow single cell imaging studies focusing primarily at membrane associated events such as signaling and exocytosis (a TIRF microscope is designed specifically to look at membrane associated fluorescence). This can be done in combination with standard patch-clamping, for example to control the membrane potential of the cell while watching granule movements. Also, this system could be used for standard electrophysiological measurements alone.

3) An epi-fluorescence imaging system that can be used to measure intracellular calcium in whole islets or single cells (other fluorescent signals may also be measured too, depending on the final configuration of the system). This system will also be combined with standard patch-clamp capabilities to allow simultaneous electrophysiology and calcium imaging studies. Finally, as this system will employ an upright microscope (the other two will be inverted), this system can be used for ‘whole-islet’ patch-clamp studies.

4) A standard patch-clamp rig for electrophysiological studies of ion channel function, membrane potential and exocytosis. This standard set-up will be used for several routine patch-clamp measurements.

 

These systems provide a unique combination of techniques that emphasizes both combining methods and maximum versatility.

 

 

 

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The MacDonald Islet Biology Lab

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