Multi-user in vivo animal imaging system

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The University of Windsor has a growing number of NSERC funded young faculty dependent on imaging for their research programs. Currently, the entire Windsor region lacks any capacity for fluorescence/luminescence imaging of whole animals/plants and tissues. Acquisition of a core facility in vivo/ex vivo imager with capabilities to image a wide range of different colours with high quality resolution is absolutely essential to facilitate the success of the research and training of the programs described in this application. In the immediate term this equipment will facilitate the research needs of the entire Faculty of Science and Faculty of Engineering at the University of Windsor. Hence, the areas of science it encompasses are diverse; from cellular and molecular biology/biochemistry/genetics studying areas such as how organisms develop, how animal and plant cells grow, divide and regulate cell death in normal and abnormal situations, how the immune system recognizes self from non-self, to physiological questions relating to how animals process sound and how this controls important responses to the external environment. Programs in computer science, physics and chemistry rely on in vivo assessment of drug availability and fluorophore availability and this equipment will enable comparative studies for new development of MRI equipment. Collectively, obtaining in vivo/ex vivo imaging capacity in the Windsor region would accelerate a vast number of research projects and would support the training and success of more than 150 HQP in the next 6 years.