Request for a Zeiss LSM 710 Confocal Microscope

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests funds for purchasing a new Zeiss LSM 710 laser scanning confocal microscope. This instrument will be housed in the designated confocal room in the Department of Biomedical Genetics at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The new Zeiss LSM 710 will replace an existing Leica TCS SP2 confocal microscope that has been in use for 10 years and has been constantly under repair recently. This older model lacks certain capabilities (such as a UV laser and a multi-channel detector) and is too costly to upgrade. As the number of NIH-funded users continues to grow within the Department of Biomedical Genetics, the lack of an adequate confocal microscope has become a major limiting factor in data acquisition for the progression of many NIH-funded projects. The confocal microscope currently exists in the Medical Center Core Facilities cannot provide timely access for all users in the Medical Center, which consists of over 40 departments and research centers. It is essential that our department have its own confocal microscope for our imaging needs. In fact, our departmental confocal has been the most heavily used piece of equipment and has been booked around the clock for the past years. Researchers in the department consider confocal access a limiting step in their experimentation and a cause of considerable frustration. The increased frequency and duration of downtime as the current Leica TCS SP2 confocal aged under heavy use have caused even more frustration among researchers in our department. The acquisition of a new confocal microscope will help alleviate the current strain and accelerate data acquisition in multiple NIH-funded research projects. Confocal microscopy has become a primary tool for imaging studies in biomedical research. This application seeks funds to replace an older model instrument within the Department of Biomedical Genetics at the University of Rochester Medical Center. This new instrument will be the only confocal microscope available in the department and will be essential for data acquisition for the many NIH-funded researchers of the department.