Acquisition of a 200 kV Cryo-Electron Microscope

购置 200 kV 冷冻电子显微镜

• 批准号: 0521563
• 负责人: David Chaplin
• 金额: $ 55.29万
• 依托单位: University of Alabama at Birmingham
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-08-01 至 2008-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0521563&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Acquisition; 200; kV; Cryo; Electron

A grant has been awarded to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) under the direction of Dr. David Chaplin for partial support of the purchase of a 200 kV field-emission gun cryo-electron microscope (cryo-EM). Contemporary research in a broad range of scientific disciplines ranging from nanotechnology, to biochemistry, virology, and cell biology relies on defining molecular structures to understand biophysical and biochemical mechanisms. Electron microscopy is one of the most important techniques in modern life science research and the only one that is able to directly image structures ranging in size from individual atoms to whole cells and tissues. Cryo-electron microscopy is a technique that allows biological material to be imaged in its native, hydrated form, in the absence of the damaging stains and fixatives required by conventional electron microscopy. Due to its high quality imaging system, the cryo-EM can achieve a resolution that approaches that of X-ray crystallography, allowing structure determination of proteins and protein/nucleic acid complexes. Using tomographic approaches, the three-dimensional organization of whole cells and organelles can be visualized in their native, functional states. The acquisition of this cryo-EM is a central component of campus-wide structural biology initiatives that link the UAB School of Medicine and School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics. The instrument will be available on a shared basis to researchers throughout the southeast United States, expanding its impact to that of a regional resource.Establishment of the 200 kV cryo-EM at UAB will dramatically accelerate research and promote teaching, training, and learning at UAB. Several research programs, ranging from the structure and assembly of bacteriophages and animal viruses to cell wall pore proteins and the analysis of nanoparticles used in preparation of prosthetic joints will benefit from the availability of this instrument. In addition to these ongoing research projects, the cryo-EM will stimulate the development of new research initiatives and will support the expansion of training programs leading to careers in structural biology research. These training initiatives will include laboratory courses available to both undergraduate and graduate students at UAB. The cryo-EM will also be used as part of the BioTeach program offered through UAB's Center for Community Outreach and Development. BioTeach provides basic knowledge and laboratory skills to high school science teachers. The acquisition of this 200 kV cryo-EM will dramatically advance the scientific discovery process and will promote teaching, training, and learning at UAB. Local availability of this cryo-EM will accelerate progress in research focused on structural aspects of virus assembly and maturation, and in nanostructures for bioengineering and biomedicine. Lastly, the cryo-EM will be used in an educational program to exposes Alabama K-12 teachers to high-end instruments and modern approaches used in scientific research. This experience is expected to stimulate their students, particularly underserved minorities and females, to consider post-secondary educational training and careers in science.

在大卫卓别林博士的指导下，伯明翰的亚拉巴马大学获得了一笔赠款，用于部分支持购买一台200千伏场发射枪低温电子显微镜。 从纳米技术到生物化学、病毒学和细胞生物学的广泛科学学科的当代研究依赖于定义分子结构来理解生物物理和生物化学机制。 电子显微镜是现代生命科学研究中最重要的技术之一，也是唯一一种能够直接对从单个原子到整个细胞和组织的结构进行成像的技术。 冷冻电子显微镜是一种技术，允许生物材料以其天然的水合形式成像，在没有常规电子显微镜所需的破坏性染色剂和固定剂的情况下。 由于其高质量的成像系统，cryo-EM可以实现接近X射线晶体学的分辨率，从而可以确定蛋白质和蛋白质/核酸复合物的结构。使用层析成像方法，整个细胞和细胞器的三维组织可以在其天然的功能状态下可视化。 该cryo-EM的收购是连接UAB医学院和自然科学数学学院的校园结构生物学计划的核心组成部分。 该仪器将在共享的基础上提供给整个美国东南部的研究人员，扩大其影响的区域资源。在UAB建立200 kV cryo-EM将大大加快研究和促进教学，培训和学习在UAB。 几个研究项目，从噬菌体和动物病毒的结构和组装到细胞壁孔蛋白，以及用于制备人工关节的纳米颗粒的分析，都将受益于该仪器的可用性。 除了这些正在进行的研究项目外，cryo-EM还将刺激新研究计划的发展，并将支持扩展导致结构生物学研究职业的培训计划。 这些培训计划将包括为UAB的本科生和研究生提供的实验室课程。 cryo-EM也将作为BioTeach计划的一部分，通过UAB的社区推广和发展中心提供。 BioTeach为高中科学教师提供基本知识和实验室技能。这200千伏cryo-EM的收购将大大推进科学发现过程，并将促进教学，培训和学习在UAB。 这种冷冻EM的本地可用性将加速重点关注病毒组装和成熟的结构方面以及生物工程和生物医学纳米结构的研究进展。 最后，冷冻EM将用于教育计划，使亚拉巴马K-12教师接触高端仪器和科学研究中使用的现代方法。 这一经验预计将刺激学生，特别是得不到充分服务的少数民族和女性，考虑接受中学后教育培训和从事科学职业。