ACT 3: RESOURCE CENTER FOR CELL IMAGE ANALYSIS

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The Image Analysis Resource Center (IARC) of the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico was established in 1996. A previous instrumentation grant from the Department of Defense in 1993 provided the basic equipment. From 1996-2001 RCMI provided funds to purchase additional equipment and also technical support to train investigators in the use of Image Analysis and to supervise the facilities. The main objective of this second cycle of funding was to extend the current facilities to make them available to a larger population of investigators and to transform the Image Analysis into a facility that would be self sufficient after five years. The specific aims of this activity were: (1) To provide the infrastructure necessary so that researchers can use image analysis to quantify data in a fast and efficient manner. 2) To add additional capabilities to the IARC, such as confocal microscopy, and a vibratome to obtain thicker tissue sections for viewing under the confocal microscope. 3) To widely idstribute and disseminate image analysis technology by introducing investigators to the free imaging solftware "NIH Image", offering workshops and training investigators on the MCID and NIH imaging software packages. 4) To convert the current IARC into a self-supporting unit. Originally, five investigators were identified, who had projects with immediate need for high quality Image Analysis. These investigators had active funding for their research or had recently submitted grant applicadtions to federal funding agencies and are awaiting a decision. Their research areas were: The renin-antiotensin system and cardiomyopathy, sex steroids and neuropsychiatric disorders, AIDS and sensory myopathies, ephrins and nerve regeneration, motivational aspects of drug abuse.