2-D mechano-optical system for the quantitative analysis of biomaterials and live cell systems

这项设备赠款将允许申请人创建一个基于显微镜的测试系统，可以结合联合收割机的定量，二维双折射测量双轴机械测量。 该系统将在倒置显微镜上构建，为机械测试系统提供工作空间。 CRI PolScope双折射成像系统将允许我们测量机械测试样本的数字图像中所有像素处的双折射的大小和方向。 该设备使得记录组织微观结构对机械性能的作用成为可能。 此外，显微镜系统将具有荧光显微镜设施，以便抗体染色或GFP构建体可用于识别组织和活细胞中的特定蛋白质。 在同一显微镜上具有双折射和荧光成像系统将允许有序结构和特定蛋白质在光学系统的分辨率下的共定位。 我们将使用这个系统来研究胶原和弹性蛋白为基础的结缔组织，中间丝为基础的结构系统和肌丝系统的结构-性能关系。

This equipment grant will allow the applicants to create a microscope-based test system that can combine bi-axial mechanical measurements with quantitative, 2-dimensional birefringence measurements.  The system will be constructed on an inverted microscope, to provide working space for the mechanical test system.  The CRI PolScope birefringence imaging system will allow us to measure the magnitude and orientation of birefringence at all pixels in a digital image of the mechanical test specimen.  This facility makes it possible to document the role of tissue microstructure to mechanical properties.  In addition, the microscope system will have facilities for fluorescence microscopy so that antibody stains or GFP constructs can be used to identify specific proteins in tissues and living cells.  Having the birefringence and fluorescence imaging systems on the same microscope will allow the co-localization of ordered structures and specific proteins at the resolution of the optical system.  We will use this system to investigate the structure-property relationships of collagen and elastin based connective tissues, intermediate filament based structural systems and myofilament systems.