Zeiss Lightsheet 7 Microscope: Transforming Imaging for Bioscience Discoveries

Zeiss Lightsheet 7 显微镜：改变生物科学发现的成像

• 批准号: BB/X01987X/1
• 负责人: Debbie Wilkinson
• 金额: $ 68.03万
• 依托单位: University of Aberdeen
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2023 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB%2FX01987X%2F1
• 关键词: Zeiss; Lightsheet; Microscope; Transforming; Imaging

Microscopes allow us to see a world that is not visible with the naked eye. We can see in astonishing detail how the machinery of individual cells work. This includes how cells respond to nutrients and store energy, how brain cells process information controlling behaviour or change during ageing and how our immune system fights off attack from infections. Our current microscopy equipment allows us to see inside cells in very high resolution by focussing only on one "slice" of information at a particular depth. Information above and below the "slice", which would make the image blurred and hard to understand, is ignored. However, this only works for very thin slices, perhaps one or a few cells thick. Moreover, the illumination these systems use can cause damage to cells and tissues. This limits how long they can be imaged, particularly when using live cells. Light sheet microscopes revolutionise conventional microscopy. Using special chemical methods, we can make samples more transparent, and by shining light, we can visualise whole organisms or organs in three dimensions without damaging the tissue. In addition, light sheet microscopy takes a fraction of the time it would take to image different depths in the cell with our existing microscopes. As an example, we can use this method to image a whole rodent brain, visualising an astonishing variety of nerve cells that connect throughout the brain in exquisite detail. This will let us see new connections that hold the key to understanding how we collect and process information from our environment, how this may influence things such as obesity, diabetes, mood or addiction or how to promote healthy ageing in the brain and prevent conditions such as dementia. This new equipment would transform the range of exciting work we can do at the University of Aberdeen. We already have funding for a range of projects from the BBSRC that could be taken to a new level by using light sheet microscopy. This would drive forward our world leading research in areas such as nutrition and metabolic health, healthy ageing and infection and parasitology. It would also open exciting new opportunities for ground-breaking research to understand the fundamental rules of life. We have a dedicated University supported facility for microscopy at the University of Aberdeen with highly skilled staff who train researchers and provide expert advice at all stages of our projects. The light sheet microscope would be part of this world-class facility keeping us at the cutting edge of bioscience imaging. Importantly, there are no similar facilities or equipment in the north of Scotland and the most exciting applications involve live imaging which requires on site facilities. Simply put, the combination of this cutting-edge equipment with the world-class expertise in key priority areas for BBSRC funding mean that the award of this funding would genuinely transform the capacity for even greater high impact, exciting research in nutrition, healthy ageing, dementia, infection and much more at the University of Aberdeen and the north of Scotland more widely.

显微镜使我们能够看到肉眼看不见的世界。我们可以以惊人的细节看到单个细胞的机制是如何工作的。这包括细胞如何对营养物质做出反应并储存能量，脑细胞如何处理控制行为或衰老过程中变化的信息，以及我们的免疫系统如何抵御感染的攻击。我们当前的显微镜设备使我们能够通过仅聚焦于特定深度的一个“切片”信息来以非常高分辨率观察细胞内部。 “切片”上方和下方的信息将被忽略，这些信息会使图像模糊且难以理解。然而，这仅适用于非常薄的切片，可能是一个或几个细胞厚。此外，这些系统使用的照明会对细胞和组织造成损害。这限制了它们的成像时间，特别是在使用活细胞时。光片显微镜彻底改变了传统显微镜技术。使用特殊的化学方法，我们可以使样品变得更加透明，并且通过照射光，我们可以在不损坏组织的情况下在三个维度上可视化整个生物体或器官。此外，光片显微镜所需的时间只是我们现有显微镜对细胞不同深度进行成像所需时间的一小部分。例如，我们可以使用这种方法对整个啮齿类动物的大脑进行成像，以精致的细节可视化连接整个大脑的各种惊人的神经细胞。这将使我们看到新的联系，这些联系是理解我们如何从环境中收集和处理信息，这如何影响肥胖、糖尿病、情绪或成瘾等问题，或者如何促进大脑健康衰老和预防痴呆症等疾病的关键。这种新设备将改变我们在阿伯丁大学可以进行的一系列令人兴奋的工作。我们已经从 BBSRC 获得了一系列项目的资金，可以通过使用光片显微镜将这些项目提升到一个新的水平。这将推动我们在营养和代谢健康、健康老龄化以及感染和寄生虫学等领域的世界领先研究。它还将为突破性研究提供令人兴奋的新机会，以了解生命的基本规则。我们在阿伯丁大学拥有专门的大学支持的显微镜设施，拥有高技能的工作人员，他们培训研究人员并在我们项目的各个阶段提供专家建议。光片显微镜将成为这个世界一流设施的一部分，使我们保持在生物科学成像的最前沿。重要的是，苏格兰北部没有类似的设施或设备，最令人兴奋的应用涉及需要现场设施的实时成像。简而言之，这种尖端设备与 BBSRC 资助的关键优先领域的世界一流专业知识相结合，意味着这笔资金的授予将真正改变阿伯丁大学和苏格兰北部更广泛的营养、健康老龄化、痴呆、感染等领域的更大影响力、令人兴奋的研究能力。