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Cell Sorting.
August 11-12, 1999
@Sea correspondent/
photographer,
Mark Carroll
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August 11, 3:45pm, Gulf of Mexico, 80 miles west of Sanibel Island, Florida -- Increasing winds have made for choppier seas. The sea state is certainly nothing to complain about, especially considering the great luck we've had so far with calm days. But for scientists, the swells have turned routine laboratory tasks into exercises in dexterity.
Dr. Shirley Pomponi and her team of biomedical scientists on the Research Vessel EDWIN LINK (RVEL) are taking a detailed look at the sponge samples they have collected so far. Their work is so detailed, in fact, that they will separate their specimens into sorted collections of individual cells--a process called dissociation. |
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| The reddish-orange sponge Forcepia, with its bulbous base and distinct finger-like appendages, may be the source of future medicines for the treatment of tumors. |
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Dr. Pomponi, Director of Biomedical Marine Research at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, is a very busy woman...but she never seems to tire. It's as if she is propelled by some mysterious energy reserve. When she is not diving in the submersible or orchestrating the movement of the research vessel, she is busy working in her well-equipped lab. It was there that I was able to talk with her for a while about her work. |
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Dr. Shirley Pomponi sorts sponge samples with a set of forceps while Dr. Amy Wright takes notes.
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"Dissociation of the sponges and the subsequent chemical analysis of their cells will help guide us toward the real source of these exciting compounds," said Pomponi as she began the cell separation process, stirring a strange looking concoction of clear liquid and colorful bits of sponge.
Once dissociated, the sponge cells are sorted. Of course, manually sorting microscopic cells would be impractical. Instead, scientists are take advantage the cells' natural properties, allowing them sort themselves, more or less.
"Think of a layered drink," Pomponi said, holding her hands out parallel to represent the different liquid layers. "Similarly, we use a layered inert solution for the cell dissociation process. Then, we place a mixture of cells on top of the 'drink' and let them settle onto the different layers based on their densities. Once the cells settle, each layer corresponds to a unique cell type." |
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