NIST is involved in working to improve the quality of cell & tissue measurements for marine biological products in collaboration with researchers at the Hollings Marine Laboratory. The Biochemical Science Division within the Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory of NIST is working with researchers in Charleston, South Carolina, tasked with several key responsibilities.

Characterization and Cryopreservation Measurements of a Marine Mammal Cell Line - Marine mammals are an important part of both the economy and ecology of coastal environments and a greater understanding of their physiology could have enormous implications for the improvement of human health. Despite their importance, our knowledge about marine mammals is far from complete. NIST is aiding in the characterization of an existing cell line of spontaneously immortalized fibroblast-like cells derived from the skin of a marine mammal. This characterization includes a rigorous examination of cellular morphology as well as rates of apoptosis, necrosis, adherence, metabolism and proliferation under highly reproducible culture conditions. After normal parameters for these characteristics are determined, a study will be undertaken to determine the effects of different methods of cryopreservation on the faithful retention of these characters. This program has the potential to aid in the development of a well-characterized marine cell line that can be used in marine toxicological studies. In addition, the measurements in this proposal may lead to the development of a database in which the effects of cryopreservation on a particular cell type can be tabulated.

Establishing Standards for Oyster Microarrays – The rapid advances in molecular technologies over the past two decades have provided biologists with an unprecedented capacity to monitor, evaluate and November 15, 2006ces and human health. Furthermore, as the application of many of these technologies have direct bearing on bioterrorism issues to the marine environment, it is essential that standards be established to control and direct the future application of these tools. The Cell & Tissue Measurements Group in collaboration with researchers at the Hollings Marine Laboratory is working on the development of standards concerning the production and generation of microarrays including protocols on performance and analysis. The program focuses on the development and critical evaluation of reference DNA analysis methods to identify and characterize harmful algae and microbes including bacteria and viruses that can pose a threat to human health and/or marine species.