Live Cell Imaging System for Biomechanics and Mechanobiology Research

项目摘要 该提案的目标是获得蔡司Axio Observer 7活细胞成像系统， 利用现有的定制和商业生物反应器系统， 在变形显微镜，机械适应和细胞跟踪方法的研究人员在博伊西国家， 以及邻近和合作机构。由美国国立卫生研究院生物医学研究中心牵头 卓越（COBRE）在矩阵生物学和爱达荷州生物医学研究卓越网络（INBRE）在那里 是博伊西州生物力学和机械生物学研究的快速增长。这些 这些努力得到了生物医学工程等新的博士学位课程和已建立的博士学位课程的进一步支持。 程序，如材料工程和生物分子科学，看到越来越多的生物工程的重点， 这些年尽管这种增长，只有一个共聚焦显微镜，以服务于所有的研究人员在博伊西国家。 这不仅制约了更适合三维应用的共焦系统的使用， 研究细胞外信号如何调节活细胞功能的机械方法。Axio Observer 7 机械生物学能力是一个关键的工具，为各种和越来越多的生物医学 博伊西州立大学的研究人员。这些研究人员包括生物医学工程师，生物力学家， 来自三所学院的生物学家：工程学院、健康科学学院和艺术学院， 以理工科为重该小组研究的一个统一主题是机械活动性肌肉骨骼系统的研究。 正常、患病和治疗状态下的系统和材料。在博伊西州立大学的战略投资下 大学，这个群体在过去10年中迅速增长（7个新教师，5个新实验室），创造了一个临界质量 具有互补的专业知识，能够在变革性和协同性骨科领域开展合作， 肌肉骨骼研究然而，实现这一潜力需要获得最先进的设备， 研究从分子到组织尺度的生理和病理生理过程。我们的联系能力 这种结构层次目前受到缺乏一个系统的限制， 具有观察分子和机械后果的能力的力。因此，生物医学系 博伊西州立大学的装备很差，无法从基础科学的发现过渡到创新， 与肌肉骨骼健康相关的直接临床应用。因此，这种活细胞有明显的好处， 该显微镜系统提供的成像和机械信号传递能力。收购Axio 具有机械生物学能力的观察员7将纠正这一缺陷， 目前的项目，但也刺激了许多有影响力的项目与高融资潜力的启动。

Project Summary The goal of this proposal is to acquire a Zeiss Axio Observer 7 Live Cell Imaging system which will be coupled with available custom-made and commercial bioreactor systems that will enable biomedical research focused on deformation microscopy, mechano-adaptation and cell tracking approaches for researchers at Boise State as well as neighboring and collaborator institutions. Led by NIH initiatives Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) at Matrix Biology and Idaho Network of Biomedical Research Excellence (INBRE) there was a rapid growth of biomedical research focused at biomechanics and mechanobiology in Boise State. These efforts are further supported by both new PhD programs like Biomedical Engineering and by established PhD programs such Materials Engineering and Biomolecular Sciences that seen increased Bioengineering focus over the years. Despite this growth, there is only one confocal microscope to serve all the researchers in Boise State. This not only bottlenecks the use of confocal system which is better suited for 3D applications, but also limits mechanistic approaches to study how extracellular cues regulate function of living cells. The Axio Observer 7 with mechanobiology apabilities is a critical instrument for a diverse and growing number of biomedical researchers at Boise State University. These researchers include biomedical engineers, biomechanists, and biologists from three colleges: College of Engineering, College of Health Sciences, and College of Arts and Sciences. A unifying theme of this group’s research is the investigation of mechanically active musculoskeletal systems and materials in normal, diseased, and treated states. With strategic investments by Boise State University, this group has rapidly grown in the last 10 years (7 new faculty, 5 new labs), creating a critical mass of complementary expertise that is positioned to collaborate on transformative and synergistic orthopaedic and musculoskeletal research. Yet achieving this potential requires the acquisition of state-of-the-art equipment to investigate the physiological and pathophysiological processes from molecular to tissue scales. Our ability to link this structural hierarchy is currently limited by the absence of a system that can apply physiologically relevant forces with a capability to observe molecular and mechanical consequences. As a result, biomedical faculty at Boise State University are poorly equipped to transition from discoveries in basic science to innovations with direct clinical application related to musculoskeletal health. Therefore there is a clear benefit of this live-cell imaging and mechanosignaling capabilities offered by this microscope system. The acquisition of the Axio Observer 7 with mechanobiology capabilities will correct this deficiency and will not only benefit NIH funded current project but also spur the initiation of many impactful projects with high funding potential.