Request for a Structured Illumination Super-Resolution Microscope

描述（由申请人提供）：此请求是为购买钛倒置显微镜上的尼康超分辨率SIM系统提供资金。该仪器将存放在匹兹堡大学医学院的生物成像中心（CBI）内。该核心设施的任务是为匹兹堡大学医学院的所有研究小组提供全方位的光和电子光学，图像分析和形态测量方法。 在过去的几年中，超分辨率系统在生物医学研究中已经变得非常有用，显着提高了光学显微镜的分辨率极限。然而，大多数这些方法（STED，PALM/STORM）不能与一般可用的荧光团一起使用。高分辨率方法（特别是结构化照明显微镜（SIM）），可以使用任何目前可用的荧光团，从有机染料到遗传编码的蛋白质，最近才成为商业上可用的“核心适合”的格式。正因为如此，以及我们机构的几位研究人员有真实的问题，这些问题真正受益于现有的改进解决方案，我们提交了这份提案。匹兹堡没有其他的“核心”超分辨率仪器。在单个研究者的私人实验室中有一台CW STED仪器，其他研究者不能使用。所要求的显微镜将被放置在CBI的核心实验室，并将普遍提供给该中心的所有NIH资助的用户。 重要的是要 认识到CBI在显微镜的竞争中有两个应用。另一个标准共焦的应用将被放置在匹兹堡大学癌症研究所的新成像核心（CBI卫星）中。这两个应用程序之间绝对没有冗余。 自20年前开始运作以来，CBI已成为医学研究界不可或缺的一部分，目前参与医疗领域内200多个PHS资助团体的研究项目，以及PHS支持的其他部门和邻近机构的研究人员项目。这里所要求的装置是这一机构设施持续增长的一个关键组成部分。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This request is for funds to purchase a Nikon super-resolution SIM system on a Ti inverted microscope. This instrument will be housed within the Center for Biologic Imaging (CBI) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The mandate of this core facility is to provide access to a full range of light and electron optical, image analysis, and morphometric methods to all research groups within the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Over the last few years super-resolution systems have become functionally useful in biomedical research, improving the resolution limit of light microscopy significantly. However, most of these approaches (STED, PALM/STORM) cannot be used with generically available fluorophores. High resolution methods (specifically Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM)) which can be used with any currently available fluorophores, from organic dyes to genetically encoded proteins have only recently become commercially available in a "core suitable" format. Because of this and the fact that several of the investigators at our institution have real questions that truly benefit from the improved resolution available we are submitting this proposal. There are no other "core" super-resolution instruments in Pittsburgh. There is one CW STED instrument in a single investigators private laboratory, this cannot be used by other investigators. The requested microscope will be placed in the core laboratories of the CBI, and will be generally available to all NIH funded users of the Center. It is important to recognize that the CBI has two applications in this competition for microscopes. The other application, for a standard confocal will be placed in the new imaging core (a CBI satellite) in th University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. There is absolutely no redundancy between the two applications. Since the CBI commenced operations 20 years ago, it has become an integral part of the medical research community currently participating in research projects with more than 200 PHS funded groups within the medical area, as well as in PHS supported projects with investigators in other departments and at neighboring institutions. The device requested here is a critical component of the continued growth of this institutional facility.