Phase Contrast Tomographic X-Ray Microscope System

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目标是确保资金用于购买高分辨率3D X射线断层扫描显微镜系统，蔡司Xradia 520 Versa（Carl Zeiss X-ray Microscopy Inc，前身为Xradia，Inc），配备高速工作站和分析软件。蔡司Xradia 520 Versa在南加州大学的加入将促进我们许多研究人员的研究，他们的项目旨在了解牙齿，骨骼和心脏发育的过程，重点是开发用于修复口腔和颅面缺损的新型组织再生方法，并提高对骨骼再生的骨重建的理解。在本提案中，我们强调了所请求单元的各种功能将如何增强/帮助我们的用户的研究，就其目前资助的NIH研究计划而言，或在某些情况下，提供额外的研究能力。基于X射线的3D成像使研究人员能够以非破坏性的方式以高度的准确度和精度量化衰减生物组织的特性。许多骨骼和心血管特征需要我们进一步了解疾病的发病机制（心脏病，骨质疏松症）是来自结构（血管，小梁）的空间分布，因此是独特的3D图像。这些特征不能从2D图像中容易地确定，除非一个人煞费苦心地将连续的组织切片重建成3D堆叠。这些组织学研究是罕见的，由于禁止 该系统的增加将加强南加州大学分子成像中心（MIC）当前用户在工程学、牙科学、发育生物学和遗传医学方面正在进行的工作，并大大提高该中心支持肿瘤学、心脏病学、病理学、材料科学和发育生物学方面新研究的能力。我们已经聚集了15名NIH资助的研究人员（11名主要用户和4名次要用户），他们的研究学科包括医学，肿瘤学，牙科学，制药科学，神经科学，遗传医学，工程学，干细胞和发育生物学，以支持我们目前的S10申请。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this proposal is to secure funds to purchase a high resolution 3D X-Ray Tomography Microscope System, ZEISS Xradia 520 Versa (Carl Zeiss X-ray Microscopy Inc, formerly Xradia, Inc), equipped with a high speed workstation and analysis software. The addition of ZEISS Xradia 520 Versa at USC will facilitate the research of many of our investigators whose projects are aimed at understanding the processes that govern dental, bone, and heart development with a focus on developing novel tissue regeneration methods for fixing oro- and cranio-facial defects and improved understanding of bone remodeling for skeletal regeneration. In this proposal we highlight how the various features of the requested unit will enhance/aid the research of our users, with respect to their currently funded NIH research programs or in some cases, provide additional research capabilities. X-ray based 3D imaging has allowed investigators to quantify traits of attenuating biological tissues with a high degree of accuracy and precision in a non-destructive manner. Many of the bone and cardiovascular traits needed to advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of disease (heart disease, osteoporosis) are derived from the spatial distribution of structures (vessels, trabeculae) and are thus unique to 3D images. These traits cannot be readily determined from 2D images, unless one painstakingly reconstructs serial histological sections into a 3D stack. These histological studies are rare due to the prohibitively expensive cost and tremendous effort involved in generating and reconstructing the sections The addition of this system will strengthen ongoing work in engineering, dentistry, developmental biology, and genetic medicine by current users of the USC Molecular Imaging Center (MIC), as well as greatly enhance the ability of the Center to support new research in oncology, cardiology, pathology, material sciences, and developmental biology. We have gathered 15 NIH funded investigators (11 major and 4 minor users) with research disciplines in medicine, oncology, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences, neurosciences, genetic medicine, engineering, stem cell, and developmental biology to support our current S10 application.