Dr. David Wing, associate professor of biology at Shepherd University, recently received a $25,925 grant from West Virginia IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence to purchase an advanced gel imaging and analysis system.

The high-tech camera uses ultraviolet light to detect molecules or chemicals. The 4.2 mega pixel density sensor and adjustable focus enhance image resolution and quality, producing publication-quality images.

“The digital imaging system will let students and researchers see DNA and proteins,” Wing said. “Among the many molecules being investigated at Shepherd to see the gene that can artificially make bacteria glow green in the dark or a protein that participates in the building of an eye lens will be seen by students.”

Wing said that the equipment will be used by students for undergraduate research as well as faculty, and that it will relieve the bottleneck for sample detection and experimentation.

The equipment can be set up to have infinite exposure time and allows enough light detection to allow a short exposure and if need be up to a 10-second exposure. Valuable specimens can be used to investigate more conditions instead of massed together to generate enough sample for a single condition.