Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy System

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请用于支持购买Leica AM TIRF（全内反射荧光）显微镜系统。该仪器将存放在托马斯杰斐逊大学Kimmel癌症中心的设施内。该设施为Kimmel癌症中心内的用户提供光学显微镜服务，整个托马斯杰斐逊大学，并根据需要提供给邻近研究机构的研究人员。托马斯杰斐逊大学目前没有TIRF设施。在TIRF模式下，所要求的仪器将提供对质膜结构、囊泡往返质膜的运输和其他膜活动以及具有极高灵敏度和低背景的单分子进行成像的能力。TIRF照明由灵敏的宽场落射荧光成像补充，这也将提供出色的FRET能力。配备了多条激光线和快速AOTF波长切换，这些属性非常适合用户对活细胞快速成像的需求。TIRF系统是非常需要的，以支持来自托马斯杰斐逊大学的五个部门（生物化学和分子生物学，癌症生物学，医学，微生物学和免疫学，生理学）和两个研究中心（Kimmel癌症中心，转化医学中心）的八个主要用户的研究计划。所有选定的主要用户都有正在进行的和资金充足的研究计划，以及活细胞和固定细胞的荧光和共聚焦显微镜的经验和专业知识。此外，该仪器将服务于Kimmel癌症中心内对TIRF显微镜感兴趣的其他偶尔用户，以及托马斯杰斐逊大学的其他研究人员。公共卫生相关性：质膜是细胞与其环境之间信息和物质传递的关键界面。本提案中要求的Leica AM TIRF显微镜是专门用于研究这一至关重要的细胞领域的独特仪器，使用该仪器进行的研究将为各种疾病提供重要的见解，包括癌症，心血管疾病，神经系统疾病和传染病。这些疾病领域涵盖了托马斯杰斐逊大学的主要研究优势和长期生物医学目标。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application is for support to purchase a Leica AM TIRF (total internal reflection fluorescence) microscope system. The instrument will be housed within the - Facility of the Kimmel Cancer Center of Thomas Jefferson University. This Facility provides light microscopy services to users within the Kimmel Cancer Center, throughout Thomas Jefferson University, and as needed and available to investigators at neighboring research institutions. There is no TIRF facility presently available at Thomas Jefferson University. In TIRF mode, the requested instrument will provide the ability to image plasma membrane structures, vesicle transport to and from the plasma membrane and other membrane activities, as well as single molecules with exceptionally high sensitivity and low background. The TIRF illumination is complemented by sensitive widefield epifluorescence imaging, which will also provide excellent FRET capability. Equipped with multiple laser lines and fast AOTF wavelength switching, these attributes are uniquely suited to the users' needs for rapid imaging of live cells. The TIRF system is vitally needed to support the research programs of eight major users drawn from five Departments (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cancer Biology, Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, and Physiology) and two Research Centers (Kimmel Cancer Center, Center for Translational Medicine) of Thomas Jefferson University. All of the selected major users have ongoing and well-funded research programs, as well as experience and expertise with fluorescence and confocal microscopy of live and fixed cells. In addition, the instrument will serve other more occasional users within the Kimmel Cancer Center who have expressed interest in TIRF microscopy, as well as other research investigators of Thomas Jefferson University. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The plasma membrane is the interface that is key to the transfer of information and material between the cell and its environment. The Leica AM TIRF microscope requested in this proposal is uniquely specialized for investigating this critically important cellular domain, and studies carried out with this instrument will provide important insight into a variety of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, and infectious diseases. These disease areas encompass the major research strengths and long-range biomedical goals of Thomas Jefferson University.