Image RemovedImage AddedThis Aminco sales bulletin from 1956 advertised "A New Analytical Instrument." Click on image to flip through the pages of the bulletin
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Aminco showcased new features of the SPF in this 1971 sales catalog. Click on image to flip through the pages of the catalog
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By 1955 Dr. Julius Axelrod-Dr. Brodie's former lab technician-had moved on to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and was working on his own experiments. He began using the new SPF in his research on what are now known as neurotransmitters in 1957.
"The SPF . . . changed the direction of the whole field of neurobiology," wrote Dr. Axelrod, looking back on his experience. He used the SPF to trace and measure tiny amounts of norepinephrine and serotonin in the brain. These neurotransmitters were present in the body in such minute amounts that no previously existing technology could have detected them. This research led to the development of antidepressant drugs such as Prozac. In 1970 Dr. Axelrod was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work with neurotransmitters.
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Dr. Julius Axelrod, left, with Dr. Robert Bowman
Fluorescence News (1970s-1990s)
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Fluorescence News (1970s-1990s)
In the decades following Dr. Axelrod's groundbreaking work, many other scientists have used the SPF in their research. Dr. Bowman could never have imagined these applications back in 1955. He provided a tool for a new generation of scientists, who take the fluorescence phenomenon for granted and use variants of his instrument in their search for new ways to learn about the human body. Today, fluorescence and updated versions of the SPF are used in measuring the quantity or cellular location of drugs, salts, proteins, or DNA. Other examples of research using fluorescence include: sequencing DNA; detecting viral or bacterial DNA during PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests of potential bioterror samples; studying protein and drug activity and binding; measuring cell markers in AIDS; researching how muscles work; and tracing neuron receptors to map the brain.
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He provided a tool for a new generation of scientists. Photomicrograph of mouse fibroblast cells stained with three different dyes: two for different cytoskeletal components (green stain for actin fibers, orange for tubulin fibers), and one (violet) for the DNA coiled and packaged inside cell nuclei.
