MRI: Acquisition of a Spinning Disk Confocal Super-resolution Microscope for Transcriptomics Research at Boston University

生命科学中一些最有前途的前沿领域是由一种新型显微镜独一无二地实现的，这种显微镜允许研究人员研究分子尺度的结构及其在活组织中执行的功能。这是生物显微镜领域的一大变革。在这个项目中，波士顿大学(BU)的一个由工程师、科学家和医生组成的合作小组将获得一台新的超分辨率旋转圆盘共聚焦显微镜，并使用它来精确研究细胞内的基因表达如何执行其赋予生命的功能，以及神经元如何在指导行为和创造记忆的大脑网络中相互连接并发出信号。这一变革性工具的使用将促进生命科学和工程学科交叉领域的尖端研究，加强对研究生和未来从业者的跨学科培训。这一共享研究仪器的使用直接影响到波士顿大学的学术社区，以及面向少数族裔服务机构和社区大学的服务不足群体和教师的强大暑期项目。该项目将为波士顿大学光子学中心管理的共享核心设施购买一台尼康CSU-W1-SORA超分辨率旋转圆盘共焦显微镜。这种最近商业化的显微镜提供了成像速度和分辨率的组合，这构成了生物显微镜领域的一大变化。它首次允许以足够的分辨率和帧速率进行荧光成像，以实时以分子精度探索大的生物样本量。显微镜独特的功能组合使变革性的研究领域成为可能，包括空间分辨转录组学，一种将基因表达与细胞的空间组织联系起来的技术；多尺度连接组学，一种在活的神经系统中创建全面的神经连接的三维地图的技术；以及活细胞和组织成像，通过它可以研究活细胞、工程组织、有机体和整个生物体的结构和功能属性。这是波士顿大学校园里的第一款显微镜，它将成为波士顿大学生命科学和工程研究小组的主要资产，其中包括来自五个不同部门的九个主要用户。预计显微镜的利用率将会很高，特别是考虑到该仪器以健壮、交钥匙操作和成像模式之间的无缝切换而闻名。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Some of the most promising frontiers in life science are uniquely enabled by a new class of microscopes that allow researchers to study molecular-scale structures and the functions they perform within living tissue. This is a step-change in the field of biomicroscopy. In this project, a collaborative group of engineers, scientists, and physicians at Boston University (BU) will acquire a new super-resolution spinning-disk confocal microscope and use it to study precisely how gene expression within cells conduct their lifegiving functions and how neurons connect to and signal one another in brain networks that guide behavior and create memories. Access to this transformative instrument will catalyze cutting edge research at the intersection of life science and engineering disciplines, enhancing interdisciplinary training for graduate students and future practitioners. Use of this shared research instrument directly impacts BU's academic community, as well as robust summer programs oriented to underserved groups and teachers in minority serving educational institutions and community colleges.The project will acquire a Nikon CSU-W1-SoRa super- resolution spinning disk confocal microscope for a shared core facility managed by the BU Photonics Center. This recently commercialized microscope offers a combination of imaging speed and resolution that comprises a step-change in the field of biomicroscopy. It allows, for the first time, fluorescence imaging with resolution and frame rate sufficient to explore large biological sample volumes with molecular precision in real time. Transformative research areas that are enabled by the microscope's unique combination of features include spatially resolved transcriptomics, a technique to connect gene expression to the spatial organization of cells; multi-scale connectomics, a technique to create comprehensive three-dimensional maps of neural connectivity in a living nervous system; and live cell and tissue imaging, through which structural and functional attributes of living cells, engineered tissues, organoids, and whole organisms can be studied. The first of its type on the BU campus, this microscope will be a major asset for life-science and engineering research groups at BU, including nine major users from five different departments. High utilization of the microscope is anticipated, especially given the instrument's reputation for robust, turnkey operation and seamless switching among imaging modalities.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.