Epifluorescence microscopy workstation

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Cellular imaging is an important tool for cell biology research, as well as research from other disciplines, including biochemistry, physiology and molecular biology. Numerous laboratories in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary depend on epifluorescence microscopy to meet their research needs. This RTI grant proposal requests funds to purchase a multipurpose, multiuser epifluorescence microscope workstation that will replace a failing 18-year old workstation. This failing system has been made broadly and freely available and used by over 100 HQP from 18 research labs in the Biological Sciences department, as well as other departments in the Faculty of Science. This use has contributed to the publication of over 45 peer reviewed research papers. A replacement microscope workstation will be configured so that it will continue to be broadly and freely available to all members of the department and other departments within the faculty. Research conducted by the major users of the proposed microscope workstation is multidisciplinary, and uses multicellular and single-celled systems that include plants, a trypanosome, and fission and budding yeast. Research areas include post-transcriptional gene regulation, oil sands toxin biosensing and remediation, pollen-pistil interactions, terpenoid biosynthesis, lipid metabolism and signal transduction. Less frequent users also study bacterial biofilms and animal model cell types. A multi-user, multidisciplinary epifluorescence microscopy workstation is essential for the broad cell biology needs of our department. Our ageing current workstation no longer provides the reliability, capacity, automation or quality that we require, and desperately needs replacement. The replacement system will be housed in a dedicated imaging laboratory located on the third floor of the Biological Sciences building.