Analytical Fluorescence Imaging Core

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Project Summary The Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Neuroscience Imaging Center will provide expertise in designing, conducting, and analyzing experiments on state-of-the-art instrumentation for light and electron microscopy. The Neuroscience Imaging Center has two scientific Cores: Core 1 - Analytical Fluorescence Imaging and Core 2 - Ultrastructure and Single Particle Microscopy. The instruments for these Cores are in place and the technical capacities have been expanded tremendously over the past six years to include not only confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, but also in vivo two-photon microscopy, super-resolution microscopy, EM tomography and single particle analyses for determining molecular structures. All instruments are located in university-wide service centers that are supported by the office of the Vice President for Research. The Neuroscience Imaging Center serves NINDS-funded OHSU researchers, as well as other NIH-funded investigators engaged in neuroscience research. We currently have 21 NINDS- funded investigators who have submitted qualifying projects for the current proposal and have microscopy and imaging needs for their current research. Other OHSU neuroscientists also receive support from Core staff. User fees on shared instruments are partially supported by the P30 grant, with greater support for NINDS than non-NINDS investigators; user fee support is regularly reviewed by the Steering Committee. Microscopy core facilities are located on the Marquam Hill campus and at the adjacent Waterfront Campus (see Resources), and all P30-supported investigators will have open access to all of these resources. The OHSU Neuroscience Imaging Center grant provides salary support for Core staff, who are local, service-oriented technology experts. The Neuroscience Imaging Center Director Dr. Sue Aicher and Associate Director Dr. Catherine Morgans have extensive scientific and technical expertise and will provide front-end consultation with investigators, helping to direct each investigator to the appropriate resources to address their research goals. The Steering Committee provides input to the Center Director with regard to Core strategic and operational issues, as well as project prioritization and Core access plans. We provide different levels of support based on the needs of the investigators. Investigators with extensive imaging expertise primarily require access to state- of-the-art equipment and occasional consultation with staff. Other investigators need more in-depth support, and full service support is often provided for electron microscopy studies. The P30 staff will provide expert support at the appropriate level to meet the needs of our participating investigators. The Neuroscience Imaging Center has catalyzed interactions among NINDS researchers as well as other neuroscientist at OHSU, provided synergy for investments in advanced microscopy, and significantly enhanced scientific progress for our neuroscience community.