Axio Zoom Imaging System for 2D and 3D Analysis of Large Tissue Samples

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The Neuroscience Research Group (NRG) at the University of Guelph is a multi-college research initiative that aims to promote research that advances the foundations of neuroscience. The applicants’ research ranges from neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity to neurophysiology and neurodegeneration. Investment into the NRG and support for the requested Axio Zoom System will advance these research priorities by promoting a fundamental expertise in molecular neuroscience and imaging at the University of Guelph. Furthermore, this investment will foster academic excellence, collaboration and internationally competitive research in the areas of neuroscience and cell biology, with an emphasis on imaging brain circuity. Imaging techniques that can precisely localize neural structures, in context of the intact (3-dimensional) nervous system, lie at the leading edge of neurobiology. These range from the visualization of complex neuronal circuits within the intact brain to imaging the nervous system of whole model organisms. The information gained by such approaches increases our fundamental knowledge of neuronal connectivity and furthers our understanding of the mechanisms that drive synaptic plasticity. Having access to state-of-the-art, high-resolution microscopy for 3-dimensional imaging of intact brain circuits is critical to remain at the forefront of neuroscience research and to continue to grow the NRG at the University of Guelph. The equipment requested in this application consists of a complete Axio Zoom.V16 System including the Apotome.2 for optical sectioning, a motorized stage, LED-based fluorescence and a high-sensitivity camera for imaging of clarified tissue and whole model organisms. No other microscope offers simultaneous whole organ and single cell resolution with the added functionality of optical sectioning. These components are essential to advance the applicants’ research projects. This microscope will be housed in the Molecular and Cellular Imaging Facility (MCIF) at the University of Guelph and will be professionally maintained and fully accessible to University of Guelph researchers and the broader scientific community on a pay-for-use basis. The MCIF will invest $30K over five years for service and maintenance related to the system, offset by the user fees collected. In addition to the >40 HQP that will be trained from the applicants’ labs, the MCIF has over 200 annual users that will benefit from this system.