Queensland Brain Institute 2010 Annual Report - University of ...

Queensland Brain Institute Annual Report 2010Laboratory Head Mr Geoffrey OsborneMr Geoffrey Osborne is unique among QBI researchers, in that hecombines his work as a neuroscientist with a facilities management role.As Director of Flow Cytometry for both QBI and the AIBN, Mr Osborneleads a team that provides crucial cell sorting and analysis services. Thelaboratory specialises in the analysis and separation of cells derived fromsources including solid tissue, blood and cultured cell lines. The laboratoryalso undertakes research into applications of this technology through thedevelopment and application of novel assays.10 510 510 410 4PE-APE-A10 310 310 210 2-650 0 650 10 3 10 4 10 5GFP-650 0 650 10 3 10 4 10 5GFPAbove: Osborne group photo. 2010 Laboratory Members: Virginia Nink, John Wilson. Above left: Identification of putative neural stem cells by comparingantigen expression profiles of control with test animal (left and right panel) and selection of sub-populationsidentified as falling in either purple or red boxed regions.Imaging cytometry of dissociatedhippocampal cells showingmorphological characteristics andassociated fluorescent protein andsurface marker expression.Mr Osborne is dedicated to developing novelflow cytometric technologies in neuroscienceprojects of his own – particularly as they relateto stem cell research, and the cells involvedin brain tumour research. During 2010, thelaboratory’s long-standing research intothe most aggressive form of brain tumour,Glioblastoma multiforme, intensified withthe continued exploration of the antigenicrepertoire found on the surface of tumourcells. It is hoped this work will ultimately helpfacilitate the development of immuno-basedtherapies for this form of brain tumour which,though rare – with an estimated prevalence ofLaying the groundwork for brain tumour therapies1 in every 10,000 people – has a low long-termsurvival rate.Another collaboration initiated in 2010involved the development of antibodiesagainst receptors expressed on putativeneural stem cells. The specificity and affinityof these antibodies to their targets and theirrelevance in a biological context is the subjectof further studies, with a long-term goal ofproviding pure populations of well-characterizedcells for trialling compounds whichincrease or rescue stem cell numbers.The year also saw the publication ofstudies on the role that particle size hason the yield obtained from cell sortingexperiments. This work on the fundamentalsof cell sorter function has implications forfuture experimental design and alters theexpectations of results from sorting large orirregular sized particles such as those typicallyfound in neural samples. It is now the basis forongoing research into cell sorting yield andcell recovery that seeks to identify the factorsthat contribute to variability in experimentaloutcome. The findings will be key to a numberof projects in the coming year.PG | 43