DEVELOPMENT OF A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT CHAMBER

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The long term objective is to develop a mechanical device that will provide complete environmental control (temperature, pressure, humidity, sterility, pH, gaseous atmosphere and light rays) to biological or industrial specimens under microscopic examination. Controls will be maintained even during periods of physical manipulation of the specimen and during microscopic observation through optically clear lenses inherent in the design of the device. The specific aim is to develop a functional device from a prototype. Methodology will include design based on mechanical engineering and physical principles, consideration of existent technology and responsiveness to input from the biomedical sector. The device will be tested as to its ability to maintain environment against current laboratory techniques with experiments involving the microinjection of living tissue culture cells. There is no technology that provides for complete environmental control in an economical format that can be easily managed on the stage of a microscope. Commercial applications that will result from successful research include an increase in the accuracy and efficiency of any experiment requiring environmental control, a means of protecting researchers from hostile organisms of noxious materials, an improvement in the success rate of human in vitro fertilization and energy cost reduction during petroleum distillation.