PFI: Establishing an Open Forum for Innovation in Advanced Fluorescent Microspectroscopy Technology for Molecular Imaging in Living Cells

威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校（UWM）的创新伙伴关系项目专注于快速获取-速度光谱分辨双光子显微镜（SR-TPM）领域的创新，以及用于研究、诊断和药物筛选应用的生物标志物和标记抗体的鉴定。作为PFI项目的一部分，将建立一个创新开放论坛（OFI），以开发和指导与SR-TPM技术开发和应用相关的几个领域的概念验证实验：(1)高光谱分辨率和高采集速度成像扫描仪，(2)光纤激光替代目前的固态激光器，以及(3)新型生物标志物和标记抗体，用于检测体内蛋白质之间的瞬态相互作用，识别体液中的罕见细胞类型（如循环癌细胞），以及开发用于药物筛选的细胞信号通路的活细胞分析。这项研究的更广泛的影响是：(1)扩大了SR-TPM的客户群，目前以细胞生物学家为代表，包括生物化学家和药物研究人员；(2)将光纤激光器产品更广泛地引入显微镜市场；(3)扩展快速采集速度光谱分辨荧光显微镜的应用，包括靶向诊断和治疗的开发。通过提供超越现有产品的产品能力，该团队解决这些需求的能力将显著扩大美国在扫描荧光显微镜市场的存在。即将进行的概念验证实验将直接涉及研究生、本科生和博士后研究人员，他们将与来自知识增强合作伙伴公司的顾问和实验室科学家一起工作。为了增加大学的创新能力，并在项目执行期间创建一支由UWM培养的科学家企业家骨干队伍，OFI将发展成为UWM大学-小企业合作实验室（UWM- usbc），该实验室将为其成员研究人员提供资源和网络机会，为企业建立一个通往UWM开发技术的门户，并促进PFI项目负责人成为威斯康星东南地区UWM内部知识转移的榜样。在美国，该项目的合作伙伴包括知识增强伙伴关系（KEP）单位，由威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校的文学与科学学院（通过其物理系）和研究生院组成，以及三家小企业：极光光谱技术有限责任公司（威斯康星州密尔沃基）、NeoClone生物技术国际有限责任公司（威斯康星州麦迪逊）和PolarOnyx公司（加利福尼亚州圣何塞）。此外，还有其他核心合作伙伴。其中包括私营部门组织：勃兰特创新技术公司（威斯康星州皮沃基）和威斯康星大学研究基金会公司（威斯康星大学密尔沃基分校）。此外，两家工业合作伙伴和潜在最终用户：MetriTrack， LLC（希尔赛德，伊利诺伊州）和AndroBioSys， Inc.（布法罗，纽约州），以及多伦多大学和威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校的学术合作伙伴和潜在最终用户，已经表达了参与OFI的强烈兴趣。

This Partnerships for Innovation project from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) focuses on innovation in the area of fast-acquisition-speed spectrally resolved two-photon microscopy (SR-TPM) and identification of biomarkers and labeled antibodies for use in research, diagnostics, and drug screening applications. As part of the PFI project, an Open Forum for Innovation (OFI) will be established to develop and guide proof-of-concept experiments in several areas related to SR-TPM technology development and applications: (1) high-spectral resolution and high-acquisition speed imaging scanners, (2) fiber laser alternatives to current solid-state lasers, and (3) novel biomarkers and labeled antibodies for detecting transient interactions between proteins in vivo, identifying rare cell types (such as circulating cancer cells) in body fluids, and developing living cell assays for cell signaling pathways to be used for drug screening. The broader impacts of this research are (1) expansion of the SR-TPM customer base, currently represented by cellular biologists, to include both biochemists and drug researchers; (2) introduction of fiber laser products more broadly to the microscopy market; and (3) expansion of applications of fast-acquisition speed spectrally resolved fluorescence microscopy to include development of targeted diagnostics and therapeutics. This team's ability to address such needs would significantly expand the U.S. presence in the scanning fluorescent microscope market, by providing product capabilities that exceed those of existing products. Proof-of-concept experiments to be conducted will directly involve graduate, undergraduate students, and postdoctoral researchers who will work alongside consultants and lab scientists from theknowledge-enhancement partner companies. To add to the university's innovation capacity and create a cadre of UWM-grown scientist-entrepreneurs during the performance period of this project, OFI will evolve into a UWM University-Small Businesses Collaboratory (UWM-USBC), which will offer resources and networking opportunities to its member investigators, establish a gateway for businesses to UWM-developed technology, and promote the PFI project leaders as role models for knowledge transfer within UWM, in the Southeast Wisconsin area, and in the U.S.Partners at the inception of the project include the Knowledge Enhancement Partnership (KEP) unit, consisting of UWM (College of Letters and Science (through its Department of Physics) and the Graduate School at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee), and three small businesses: Aurora Spectral Technologies, LLC (Milwaukee, WI), NeoClone Biotechnology International, LLC (Madison, WI), and PolarOnyx, Inc. (San Jose, CA). In addition, there are other core partners. These include private sector organizations: Brandt Innovative Technologies, Inc. (Pewaukee, WI) and the UWM Research Foundation, Inc. (UWMRF, Milwaukee, WI). In addition, two industrial collaborators and potential end users: MetriTrack, LLC (Hillside, IL) and AndroBioSys, Inc. (Buffalo, NY)], as well as academic collaborators and potential end users from the University of Toronto and University of Wisconsin-Madison, have already expressed strong interest in participating in the OFI.