Request for live cell confocal TIRF microscope

描述(由申请人提供)：此申请是为购买尼康钛倒置显微镜的资金，该显微镜具有宽视场、全内反射荧光(TIRF)和共聚焦能力，可用于活细胞成像。该仪器将被安置在匹兹堡大学医学院的生物成像中心(CBI)内。这一核心设施的任务是为匹兹堡大学医学院和医学中心内的所有研究小组提供全方位的光和电子光学、图像分析和形态测量方法。共焦显微镜是该中心提供的一项基本服务，用户可以使用多点扫描的单台显微镜。核心设施中没有多点(旋转圆盘或移动针孔阵列)共焦或TIRF成像显微镜。在PIS实验室和校园其他地方都有这种类型的仪器，但这些不是核心设备。PI一直在尽可能地让用户在自己的显微镜上获得一些时间，尽管目前根本不可能利用PI自己的显微镜上几个未使用的小时来满足对实时细胞共焦和TIRF成像的需求。因此，这一应用的原因是为了向CBI的用户提供高速活细胞共聚焦和TIRF成像。重要的是要认识到，CBI在这场类似设备的竞争中有两个应用。活细胞共聚焦的另一个应用将放置在区域生物遏制设施的新成像核心(CBI卫星)中，并将仅用于对高度危险的病原体进行成像。由于另一种显微镜的使用范围极其有限，功能也非常特殊，因此这两种应用程序之间绝对不存在冗余。自17年前开始运作以来，CBI已经成为医学研究界不可或缺的一部分，目前它参与了医疗领域内200多个PHS资助团体的研究项目，以及与其他部门和邻近机构的研究人员共同参与的PHS资助项目。这里要求的设备是这一机构设施持续增长的关键组成部分。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This request is for funds to purchase a Nikon Ti inverted microscope with widefield, total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) and confocal capabilities for live cell imaging. This instrument will be housed within the Center for Biologic Imaging (CBI) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The mandate of this core facility is to provide access to a full range of light and electron optical, image analysis, and morphometric methods to all research groups within the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Medical Center. Confocal microscopy is an essential service provided by the center, and there are multiple point scanning single microscopes available to users. There are no multipoint (spinning disk or moving pinhole array) confocal or TIRF imaging microscopes in the core facility. There are instruments of this type in the PIs laboratory and elsewhere on campus, however these are not core equipment. The PI has been making some time available to users on his own microscopes whenever possible, though at the current time it is simply impossible to meet demand for live cell confocal and TIRF imaging using the few unused hours on the PIs own microscopes. Therefore the reasons for this application are to provide high speed live cell confocal and TIRF imaging to users of the CBI. It is important to recognize that the CBI has two applications in this competition for similar equipment. The other application, for a live cell confocal will be placed in the new imaging core (a CBI satellite) in the regional biocontainment facility and will only be used for imaging highly dangerous pathogens. Because of the extremely limited access to and specialized function of this other microscope, there is absolutely no redundancy between the two applications. Since the CBI commenced operations 17 years ago, it has become an integral part of the medical research community currently participating in research projects with more than 200 PHS funded groups within the medical area, as well as in PHS supported projects with investigators in other departments and at neighboring institutions. The device requested here is a critical component of the continued growth of this institutional facility.