Super Resolution PALM/STORM Microscopy System In Multi-User Facility

描述（由申请人提供）：阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦医学院的分析成像设施（AIF）通过提供最先进的显微镜技术来支持美国国立卫生研究院资助的研究人员，这些技术可以加强协作，多学科研究。该申请是AIF的共享仪器拨款，以获得PALM/STORM （PALM和STORM在本申请中可互换使用，因为它们在显微镜接口上是相同的技术）超分辨率系统，这是一种使用光激活定位显微镜实现超分辨率的新显微镜系统。这项技术将对爱因斯坦的生物医学研究产生重大影响，并将扩大美国国立卫生研究院资助的爱因斯坦项目的范围。虽然大多数显微镜设备传统上配备了宽视场、共聚焦和多光子荧光显微镜，但在这些系统上获得的图像的分辨率受到光学显微镜衍射极限的限制。最近，超分辨率光学显微镜技术的发展取得了重大进展，使科学家能够超越以前的分辨率限制，实现分辨率的十倍提高。最近PALM/STORM技术的商业化正在彻底改变我们对细胞组织的理解，它允许科学家研究以前认为不可能通过光学显微镜实现的结构细节。这项技术为研究蛋白质在大分子复合物、细胞器和亚细胞结构中的精细组织铺平了道路。我们预计这种PALM/STORM技术将大大增强和加速许多NIH资助的爱因斯坦项目，其中许多项目非常适合这种应用，并且将从获得这种技术中受益匪浅。特别是，这项技术将用于研究生物学的各个方面

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Analytical Imaging Facility (AIF) of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine supports NIH-funded investigators by giving access to state-of-the-art microscopy technologies that enhance collaborative, multidisciplinary research. This application is a shared instrumentation grant from the AIF to acquire a PALM/STORM (PALM and STORM are used interchangeably in this application since they are the same technology at the microscope interface) super-resolution system, a new microscopy system that uses photo activation localization microscopy to achieve super-resolution. This technology will have a high impact on the biomedical research at Einstein and will expand the scope of NIH-funded projects at Einstein. While most microscopy facilities have traditionally been equipped with wide-field, confocal, and multiphoton fluorescence microscopes, the resolution of the images acquired on these systems has been limited by the diffraction limit of the light microscopy. Recently, there have been major advances in the development of super-resolution light microscopy techniques, allowing scientists to move beyond the previous resolution limit and achieve a ten-fold improvement in resolution. The recent commercialization of the PALM/STORM technology is revolutionizing our understanding of the cellular organization by allowing scientists to study details in structures previously thought impossible to achieve by light microscopy. This technology is paving the way for asking refined questions about the organization of proteins in macromolecular complexes, organelles and subcellular structures. We anticipate that this PALM/STORM technology will greatly enhance and accelerate many NIH funded projects at Einstein, many of which are ideal for this application and would greatly benefit from access to this technology. In particular, this technology will be used to study diverse aspects of biological structures that include: formation of invasive structures in metastatic cancer cells (Dr. Condeelis, project #2), organization of podosome structures (Dr. Cox, project #3), virus assembly and budding (Dr. Kielian, project #4), nuclear architecture in T. gondii. (Dr. Kim, project #5), protein sorting in the transGolgi network (Dr. Muesch, project #6), structure and function of the centrosome (Dr. Sharp, project #7), and mRNP assembly in neurons (Dr. Singer, project #8). The Principal Investigator of this application, Dr. Vladislav Verkhusha (project #1), s one of the leaders in the field of fluorescent protein engineering and development, with a long publication record in this field. He has specifically designed many fluorescent proteins for exclusive use in the PALM technology. Since there is currently no PALM/STORM system available at Einstein, he has had to engage in lengthy, multi- state collaborations in order to advance his research. Acquisition of a PALM/STORM system will greatly facilitate his ongoing NIH-funded research program, to the benefit of the Einstein community as well as the scientific community at large. Lastly, we anticipate that the acquisition of a PALM/STORM system will lead to new collaborations and funding, and will stimulate new directions of scientific inquiry.