Laser Capture Microdissection Unit - research fundraising in Sheffield
Target: £125,000.00
Why do some people get Motor Neurone Disease while others develop Parkinson’s Disease or Alzheimer’s and some don’t get any nervous system disease at all? Researchers in Sheffield are trying to identify the causes of common neurological degenerative diseases by comparing healthy cells with diseased ones. In doing so, they hope to identify a cure for this group of diseases which has a devastating impact on both the affected person and their families. Research has been slow because of the lack of technology in this area. Scientists need 1000 cells from each tissue sample to identify what’s going wrong in the nerve cells of patients. To date they have had to harvest these cells individually and by hand which requires a great deal of time and manpower. Neurocare wants to help this vital work to try to find a cure for these terrible diseases by funding a new piece of equipment called a Laser Capture Micro Dissection Unit. This will be the first machine of its kind in the UK used to investigate neurological disease. The Department here in Sheffield is at the forefront of this type of research and urgently need our support. The equipment we want to fund is unique and has a number of advanced features:- The Cell Laser Capture System allows scientists to harvest cells with unprecedented speed and precision. It is able to identify cells according to criteria set by the controller, and then automatically isolates the cells without further intervention. - It pulls out specific cells linked to degenerative diseases.
- This machine does the job of 20 people; those people are then freed up to do other things.
- Treatments available to date only alleviate symptoms; they do not cure the illness. Scientists already know there will not be a one cure fits all drug. They want to develop disease specific treatments and this equipment will help them in their search for answers
- Breast cancer research has been significantly enhanced by CLCS technology and Herceptin was created directly from research using this type of machine.
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