MRI: Acquisition of a High-Throughput Fluorescence Slide-Scanner Microscope for the University of Oregon Histology Core Facility

俄勒冈大学尤金分校获得了一份支持购买高通量荧光滑动扫描仪成像系统的合同。生物标本的高通量分析对于推进生命科学的许多领域越来越重要。一个关键的瓶颈，特别是在组织学标本的研究中，是需要手动步骤，限制了数据采集的速度。新的载玻片扫描显微镜将自动化许多手动步骤，以消除关键瓶颈，并使俄勒冈大学及其他大学的研究人员能够对生物标本进行高通量分析。新仪器将被安置在俄勒冈大学共享的组织学和基因修饰研究核心设施中。作为核心设施的一部分，该仪器将加强本科生、研究生和博士后学者在尖端显微镜方法、高级图像分析、“大数据”和其他关键定量技能方面的培训。该系统将进一步加快学生在夏季REU项目中的研究，也将用于外展项目，并与邻近机构共享。新系统将用于广泛的生物学研究，包括基因表达、解剖重建和组织分析，并有助于本科生和研究生的课程和培训。这种自动化仪器的两个特点将改变UO研究人员进行这些类型研究的能力。首先，它自动对大面积标本进行成像，将单个高倍率视场拼接成一张高分辨率图像。其次，它可以自动处理大量标本，自动装填机可以连续处理多达200张玻片。这些功能将使研究人员能够获得人工成像无法处理的完整数据集，从而开辟了新型生物学问题。该仪器具有明场和荧光功能，能够广泛应用于基因表达的原位杂交分析，大规模神经组织的重建以及解剖和细胞结构的量化。这些研究的结果将在同行评议的期刊上传播，在科学会议上发表，并作为公共宣传工作的一部分。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

An award is made to the University of Oregon Eugene to support the purchase of a high-throughput fluorescent slide-scanner imaging system. High throughput analysis of biological specimens is increasingly essential for advancing many fields of the life sciences. A key bottleneck, particularly in the study of histological specimens, is the need for manual steps that limit the speed of data acquisition. The new slide scanning microscope will automate many of the manual steps to remove critical bottlenecks and enable high throughput analysis of biological specimens by researchers at the University of Oregon and beyond. The new instrument will be housed in the University of Oregon shared Histology and Genetic Modification Research Core Facility. As part of a core facility, this instrument will enhance training of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with cutting edge microscopy approaches, advanced image analysis, “big data”, and other key quantitative skills. The system will further accelerate student research during summer REU programs and will also be used in outreach programs and shared with neighboring institutions.The new system will be used for a wide range of biological studies, including gene expression, anatomical reconstructions, and tissue analysis, as well as contributing to undergraduate and graduate coursework and training. Two features of this automated instrument will transform the ability of UO researchers to perform these types of studies. First, it automatically images large area specimens, stitching together individual high magnification fields of view into a single high-resolution image. Second, it can automatically process a large number of specimens, with an autoloader capable of processing up to 200 slides in succession. These capabilities will allow researchers to acquire complete datasets that are simply not tractable with manual imaging, thereby opening up new types of biological questions. The instrument has both brightfield and fluorescent capabilities, enabling a wide range of applications including in situ hybridization analysis of gene expression, reconstruction of large-scale neural organization, and quantification of anatomical and cellular structures. Results from these studies will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, through presentation at scientific meetings, and as part of public outreach efforts.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.