CONFOCAL INTEGRATED INSTRUMENT SYSTEM

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Confocal imaging is an essential component of modern vision science research. The majority of National Eye Institute (NEI)-funded researchers at Washington University use confocal imaging as an integral and indispensable tool in their research programs. This has led to an unfortunate bottleneck in the research workflow, as too many investigators compete for limited time on an existing instrument. Further, the current instrumentation is configured in such as way as to preclude physiological or in vivo studies, two increasingly important areas of eye research. Funds are requested to purchase an FV1000 CLSM upright confocal microscope. The FV1000 CLSM will be housed in a newly-created Imaging Suite located in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences and administered under the auspices of our P30 Vision Science Core grant. The User Group for the new instrument thus includes the 34 faculty members from seven academic departments who are members or affiliates of our P30 Core grant. The new instrument will provide: 1. Much needed additional imaging capacity. 2. Backup in case of downtime of existing instrumentation. 3. Important new functionality. Members of the User Group are engaged in fundamental research into the causes and treatment of retinal degeneration, choroidal neovascularization, herpetic eye infections, cataract and corneal dystrophies. It is expected that the requested instrument will contribute directly and substantively to progress in each of these clinically important areas.