A high-performance slide scanner to support multiple research programs

我们请求为可配置的显微镜载玻片扫描仪系统提供资金，该系统结合了亮场、荧光和偏振选项，为我们位于密西索加多伦多大学的显微镜成像设施提供高通量全载玻片扫描能力。位于校园内(马丁实验室)的显微镜可以扫描整个显微镜幻灯片；然而，该设备只有一张幻灯片的容量，并且提供的工作流程不足。这台显微镜也经常被马丁实验室占用，使其他研究人员无法接触到它。目前，马丁博士的研究生轮流工作，通常是在午夜以后，以便有足够的时间用这种显微镜扫描他们的幻灯片。他们对自己开展工作的能力表示严重关切，有些人已经遭受重大延误。低效的工作流程和缺乏替代方案不是短期问题，马丁博士的研究将继续主要依靠显微镜载片扫描。共同申请者(刘和Resulaj)还需要经常使用专用的幻灯片扫描系统，改善他们的工作流程，减轻学员的压力。此外，密西索加多伦多大学的许多用户需要将载玻片扫描作为他们研究计划的一部分，但我们的中央成像设备目前缺乏专用系统。将载玻片扫描系统整合到我们的显微镜成像设备中，预计将改善多个调查人员的工作流程，并为未包括在主要应用程序中的调查人员(内部和外部)提供按使用付费的选项。幻灯片扫描系统将是我们NSERC资助的旨在了解行为的分子和遗传决定因素的研究项目成功的关键。为了使我们的成像能力现代化，满足学员日益增长的需求，并最大限度地提高我们的研究效率和原创性，幻灯片扫描系统是必要的。所要求的设备将存放在密西索加多伦多大学的成像设施内，并由一名高级研究技术员进行维护。多伦多大学密西索加分校最近经历了一个增长阶段，多名研究人员需要为他们的研究项目提供自动幻灯片扫描能力。目前有大量的项目依赖于显微镜、成像和细胞分析，预计拟议的设备将直接支持每年25-30名学生/受训人员的培训。

We request funds for a configurable microscope slide scanner system that combines brightfield, fluorescence, and polarization options to provide high-throughput whole slide scanning capabilities to our microscope imaging facility at the University of Toronto Mississauga. A microscope located on campus (in the Martin lab) can scan whole microscope slides; however, this device has a one slide capacity and provides an insufficient workflow. This microscope is also constantly occupied by the Martin lab, making it inaccessible to other researchers. Currently, Dr. Martin's graduate students work in shifts, often past midnight, to have enough time to scan their slides using this microscope. They have expressed serious concerns about their ability to conduct their work, and some have already suffered significant delays. Inefficient workflow and lack of alternative options is not a short-term problem, and Dr. Martin's research will continue to rely centrally on microscope slide scanning. The co-applicants (Liu and Resulaj) also need frequent access to a dedicated slide scanning system, improving their workflow and alleviating the strain on their trainees. In addition, many users at the University of Toronto Mississauga require slide scanning as part of their research program, but our central imaging facility currently lacks a dedicated system. Incorporating a slide scanning system into our microscope imaging facility is expected to improve workflow across multiple investigators and provide a pay-per-use option for investigators (internal and external) not included on the main application. The slide scanning system will be pivotal for the success of our NSERC-funded research programs that aim to understand the molecular and genetic determinants of behaviour. The slide scanning system is necessary to modernize our imaging capabilities, meet our trainees' growing needs, and maximize our research efficiency and originality. The requested equipment will be housed within the Imaging facility at the University of Toronto Mississauga and maintained by a senior research technician. The University of Toronto Mississauga has recently gone through a growth phase with multiple investigators requiring automated slide scanning capabilities for their research programs. An abundance of projects currently depends on microscopy, imaging, and cellular analysis, and it is expected that the proposed equipment will directly support the training of 25-30 students/trainees annually.