Request for Hysitron TI950 TriboIndenter Nanoindenter with Raman Spectroscopy

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This proposal is for the purchase of a Hysitron TI950 TriboIndenter/Raman Spectroscopy System, which will add nanoscale materials science capabilities (e.g., nanoindentation, nanofabrication) and high resolution Raman Spectroscopy capabilities (e.g., chemical composition, mineral/crystal isoforms) to our present instrumentation—providing a significant improvement in our ability to measure physical and chemical properties of organs, tissues, cells, compounds, implants, and engineered materials. The laboratories interested in this piece of equipment are involved in a wide range of funded research programs, including bone metabolism, orthopaedics, cancer biology, diabetes, and obesity. With the Hysitron TI950 system, we will be able to measure true material properties of mineralized and soft tissues directly, without the need to estimate parameters based on macro-level tests that have flawed translation to the nano-scale. In addition, the particular instrument we are requesting has the capability to collect Raman spectra and nanoindentation-derived mechanical properties from the same micro-moeity, which will significantly improve the quality of experiments and measurements that we take, and at the same time, will usher in a multitude of new lines of investigation and collaboration that we currently do not enjoy. There are numerous VA-funded investigators at the Indianapolis VA that would benefit greatly from acquisition of the Hysitron TI950 system, including Drs. Robling (osteoporosis/mechano- transduction), Allen (osteoporosis/anti-resorptives), Moe (chronic kidney disease), Bellido (osteoporosis/hormone signaling), Roodman (multiple myeloma), Nakshatri (sarcopenia/cachexia), Chirgwin (myeloma/osteocytes), and March (adipose-derived stem cells). Moreover, the system would allow each of these VA investigators to expand their research programs and begin initiating new collaborations with the large biomedical engineering community on the IU Indianapolis campus, who have expressed significant interest in the system.