Customer Success Story with the University of Prince Edward Island
The Research Challenge
In the Springer Lab at the University of Prince Edward Island, researchers study the range of changes available to organisms as they evolve. One powerful system for exploring these questions is the bioluminescence of click beetles.
Click beetles naturally glow in one of four colours—green, yellow-green, yellow, or orange. Each colour is produced by a specific variant of the beetle luciferase gene. hile these colour differences are easy to see, accurately measuring and comparing them at a molecular level is far more challenging. Subtle shifts caused by single genetic mutations require highly specialized instrumentation to quantify reliably.
To move their research forward, the Springer Lab needed a solution that could detect and measure extremely small colour differences with high precision.
The Bedrock Scientific Solution
Bedrock Scientific worked closely with the Springer Lab to identify a double monochromating spectrophotometer tailored to their research needs.
This instrument provides the sensitivity and spectral resolution required to quantify tiny shifts in light emission caused by single luciferase mutations. With this new capability, the lab can now generate high-quality, reproducible spectral data that was previously out of reach.
New Capabilities Unlocked
With their new spectrophotometer in place, the Springer Lab can now:
Quantify natural luciferase variants corresponding to the four known beetle glow colours
Scan large libraries of engineered luciferase mutations, mapping the full range of colour changes available through mutation
Compare natural alleles and mutational pathways, revealing how evolution actually navigated this space
Their first datasets clearly resolved the four natural luciferase alleles—providing immediate validation of the system’s performance.
Scientific Impact
This work allows the Springer Lab to compare two complementary views of evolution:
What could happen: the full space of colour changes accessible through mutation
What did happen: the specific evolutionary paths that produced today’s naturally glowing beetles
By comparing these spaces, the lab can test adaptive hypotheses, identify evolutionary constraints, and better understand how new traits emerge over time.
A Collaborative Success
By helping the Springer Lab select the right instrument for their research goals, Bedrock Scientific enabled a major expansion of their experimental capabilities. This partnership highlights the impact that thoughtful instrumentation choices can have on fundamental biological discovery.
We are proud to support the Springer Lab’s work and excited to see how their research continues to shed light on the mechanisms of evolution.
