National Instrumentation Facility for Optical Microscopy

建立了一个开发新仪器并促进其在生物学研究中应用的中心。其目的是为改进的光电显微成像定量技术提供系统的发明和发展，并通过分子细胞生物学的合作研究促进这些新的物理仪器能力的应用。生物学研究的需要无情地推动着仪器的局限性，即使它们在进步。通过适当的光电显微图像采集、微弱分子荧光的光子计数定量以及具有时空变换分析的计算机数字图像处理，可以揭示和测量活细胞中生命过程的分子动力学。该中心将致力于优化量化受体动力学、细胞运动、结构波动、钙离子活性的空间演变、膜电位、pH和受体分布的仪器能力，和分子运动的个体荧光显微图像采集(光子计数)和快速(毫秒)采集更明亮的瞬变图像，通过有效的数字图像处理、时间分辨荧光成像、利用化学指示剂、3D图像构建、定量共聚焦显微镜、图像处理和激光干涉成像。该中心将提供协作的跨学科研究，提供新的细胞生物学研究，并将仪器开发的重点放在可供其他实验室采用的实用技术上。

A center for the development of new instrumentation and the facilitation of its application for biological research has been established. Its objective is to provide for the systematic invention and development of improved electro-optical microscopic imaging quantitation technologies, and to facilitate the application of these new physical instrumentation capabilities through collaborative research in molecular cell biology. The needs of biological research push relentlessly at instrumental limitations even as they advance. The molecular dynamics of vital processes in living cells can be revealed and measured by appropriate electro-optical microscopic image acquisition, photon counting quantitation of weak molecular fluorescence, and computerized digital image processing with spatial and temporal transform analysis. The Center will aim to optimize instrumentation capability for quantitation of receptor dynamics, cell motion, structural fluctuations, spatial evolution of calcium ion activity, membrane potential, pH and receptor distributions, and molecular motions of individual fluorescence micro-image acquisition at faint light levels (photon counting) and fast (millisecond) acquisition of brighter transient images with efficient digital image processing, time resolved fluorescence imaging, utilization of chemical indicators, 3D image construction, quantitative confocal microscopy, image processing and laser interference imaging. Collaborative interdisciplinary research to be accommodated by the center provides for new cell biology research and focuses the instrumentation developments on practicable technologies that can be adopted by other laboratories.