Updated confocal microscope in the Imaging Core facility to support biomedical research

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Core Facility Equipment Supplement to P20GM103653 Summary Neuroscience-Center affiliated faculty at Delaware State University are also major users of the OSCAR Imaging Core Facility that is supported by the Delaware INBRE. However, the two confocal microscopes currently operating in the facility date from the previous century, and the slow rate at which image data are collected limits their application for live-cell and quantitative imaging and limit the research questions that faculty can address using those microscopes. The acquisition of a spinning-disk system confocal microscope will enhance and strengthen significantly the research and educational activities at Delaware State University (DSU), a primarily undergraduate and Historically-Black university. The patented spinning-disk system will bring a significant improvement in confocal and time-lapse microscopy with better spatial- resolution, temporal-resolution, and improved signal-to-noise ratios for high-resolution bioimaging. The microscope will be installed in the OSCAR Imaging Facility, a multi-user shared facility, allowing diverse pool of users to access this advanced technology. We will acquire a Voxyl Spinning-Disk system (V3 confocal head and accessories) with NIGMS supplement funds, and an IX83 Olympus inverted microscope (microscope stand and accessories) with DSU institutional funds, which will be assembled to build a high-resolution confocal microscope. The assembly will be directed by Dr. Boukari, an optical physicist with extensive experience in optical and imaging instrumentation who serves as the director of the OSCAR Imaging Core. Dr. Boukari has previously assembled a similar microscope while he was working at NIH. He will be assisted by our Core Facility Manager, who has 10 years of experience using and maintaining confocal microscopes. Funding of this supplement will allow DSU to leverage our institutional funds and the expertise and know-how of our Imaging Facility staff to “bootstrap” our way to making cutting edge technology confocal microscopy available to our neuroscience and biomedical researchers. By assembling the system ourselves we will save more than $150,000 compared to purchasing a turn-key system.