Request for a Spectral Confocal Microscope

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Eleven NIH-funded investigators and one junior investigator with a pending NIH application are seeking support under the NCRR Shared Instrumentation Grant Program to obtain a Nikon A1 laser scanning confocal microscope. The Nikon microscope is justified because the two other confocal microscopes available at the University of South Alabama - a nine-year-old Leica TCS SP2 spectral confocal microscope and a five year old PerkinElmer Ultraview RS-3 spinning disk confocal microscope - are heavily used by thirty labs and more than fifty individuals. As such, access to these microscopes has become a rate-limiting step in conducting research. This limitation has worsened because increased usage and age have led to component failure and subsequent down time of the Leica system. In addition, neither microscope is capable of obtaining high resolution confocal images of preparations in environmental chambers or making live-cell, time lapse measurements of multiple fluorophores. The steering committee of the BioImaging Core Facility has identified the Nikon A1 laser scanning confocal microscope as the system best suited for our needs, because of its high acquisition speed, high-spatial resolution, incorporation of an acousto-optical tunable filter to control laser intensity, and ability to simultaneously acquire spectra divided into 32 separate wavelength bins of 2.5, 5, or 10 nm, and Nikon's excellent customer service at the University of South Alabama. The Nikon microscope will support a group of investigators conducting research in the areas of Lung Endothelial Biology, Vascular Smooth Muscle Biology, and Cancer Biology. As such, the work is highly relevant to understanding the underlying factors contributing to hypertension, vascular disease, COPD, and breast cancer, as well as the development of treatments for these conditions. The system will be housed in the BioImaging Core Facility with the two current confocal microscopes. The USA College of Medicine has committed to refurbish space, and to provide financial support for a three-year extended service contract with Nikon, and a Ph.D. level manager to run the BioImaging Core Facility. This individual will assist researchers with the use of the Nikon system, as well as other aspects of experimental design. The BioImaging Core Facility will ensure appropriate use and sharing of the system. The addition of the new generation confocal microscope will greatly expand the imaging capabilities available to NIH-funded researchers present on University of South Alabama campus.