<EMU-PMP: Acquisition of equipment for multi-user laboratories (Facility) for studies of cardiorespiratory function and metabolism in physiological and pathological situations

• Grant number: 23/16902-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Infrastructure Program - Small Medium Sized
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - Compared Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Luciane Helena Gargaglioni Batalhão
• Grantee: Luciane Helena Gargaglioni Batalhão
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Daniel Breseghello Zoccal ; Kênia Cardoso Bícego

Abstract

Our group, composed of cardiorespiratory and thermal regulation physiologists in vertebrates, from the Interinstitutional Postgraduate Program in Physiological Sciences (PIPGCF - UFSCAR/UNESP), has strongly contributed to clarifying the homeostatic mechanisms involved in physiological adjustments in the face of disturbances in blood gases , thermal challenges and inflammatory responses, such as hypoxia, hypercapnia, cold, heat and systemic infections. Through collaborations between laboratories, we carried out measurements of lung ventilation and respiratory motor control, energy metabolism and body temperature in different species and considering phases of the sleep-wake cycle and development. Our studies have high reproducibility and international repercussion, being published in international journals with relevant scientific impact and with a qualified editorial board. We are considered an inter-campus facility that has jointly published and supervised postgraduate students, establishing a notable example of scientific collaboration and synergy between researchers accredited in the same postgraduate program. This further strengthens our position as leaders in cutting-edge research in the area of respiratory and thermal regulation in vertebrates.With the technological advances of the last decade, many of the existing equipment in the FCAV, FOAR and IBB-UNESP respiratory and metabolism facilities are out of date, with no available updates or maintenance, as there are new versions and more advanced technology on the market. . These new systems or sets of equipment feature a higher sampling rate, greater precision and specificity in physiological measurements and better resolution of metabolic, respiratory, thermal and sleep-wake cycle data. Such characteristics allow for greater accuracy and refinement of the data acquired, being extremely important in scientific advancement and the generation of new relevant knowledge. Another point is that some of this equipment has wireless technology, facilitating animal instrumentation by eliminating multiple cable connections, minimizing animal stress due to handling and providing natural behavior and greater animal well-being. Furthermore, the implementation of state-of-the-art equipment, which does not exist in the state of SP, to jointly measure blood flow and tissue oxygen in tissues with a high metabolic rate, such as the brain, favors important advances in the understanding of perfusion and oxygenation control mechanisms. brain damage and the effects of central hypoxia on physiological variables. Therefore, the present proposal aims to update and expand laboratories to study respiration, metabolism and thermal regulation in vertebrates. The acquisition of the equipment listed in this proposal will benefit several departments at UNESP, with the potential to serve other laboratories in the state of São Paulo and other states, as well as strengthening and expanding international collaborations. It is worth mentioning that all the equipment requested makes up an essential set, based on different animal models, considering different phases of development, aiming at the modernization and expansion of the facility in question. This proposal is, therefore, in line with the current demands for methodological refinement to support increasingly robust data acquired in the multi-user laboratories of FCAV, FOAR and IBB at UNESP, with a view to providing broader service to the Unit itself and to other institutions. (AU)