MRI: Acquisition of a Bench-top Olympus Confocal Microscope to Advance Biological Research at an HBCU

这项主要研究仪器奖资助购买台式激光扫描共聚焦显微镜，用于特拉华州立大学(DSU)生物科学系的生物研究。激光共聚焦显微镜能够在活细胞和固定细胞和组织的深处进行可视化和成像，并提供机会收集清晰的光学切片，从这些光学切片中可以生成三维渲染。直到最近，要获得共焦显微镜提供的全部好处，还需要在图像的设置、采集、处理和分析方面的专业知识。在大型研究机构中，这种专业知识是由配备齐全的核心机构提供的。然而，在像密歇根州立大学这样的小型机构中，教职员工和学生必须自己进行成像实验。更简单、自动化程度更高的奥林巴斯FluoView FV10i共焦激光扫描显微镜系统将为大连理工大学的研究人员和学生在他们的研究项目中充分发挥共焦显微镜的优势。大多数计划中的研究项目涉及在活细胞中获取延时图像，这可以在FV10i台式共焦显微镜上获得。受益于该仪器的研究项目包括：植物病毒-宿主相互作用的研究，运动神经元神经递质表型的发展，秀丽线虫行为突变体中的蛋白质相互作用，以及类固醇激素在神经发育中的作用等。激光共聚焦显微镜可以实现无损和非侵入性的三维显微成像，用于完整样品的分析。FluoView FV10i共聚焦显微镜代表了下一代多用户激光共聚焦显微镜，显著增强了历史悠久的黑人大学--得克萨斯大学的研究能力。这台仪器所在的生物科学系有生物学和神经科学的研究生课程。FluoView FV10i共聚焦显微镜的用户友好特性将使大连大学的学生和研究人员能够对活细胞和组织进行成像。它还将促进整合DS U为K-12学生和教师提供的几个外展项目，从而促进教学、学习和研究培训。

This Major Research Instrumentation award funds the purchase of a bench-top laser scanning confocal microscope for biological research in the department of Biological Sciences at Delaware State University (DSU). Laser confocal microscopy enables visualization and imaging deep within both living and fixed cells and tissues, and provides the opportunity to collect sharply defined optical sections from which three-dimensional renderings can be generated. Until recently, gaining the full benefits provided by confocal microscopy required expertise in the set-up, acquisition, processing and analysis of images. In large research institutions, this expertise is provided by well-staffed core facilities. However, in a small institution such as DSU, faculty and students must conduct their own imaging experiments. The simpler, more automated Olympus Fluoview FV10i confocal laser-scanning microscope system will provide DSU researchers and students the full benefits of confocal microscopy for their research projects. Most of the planned research projects involve acquisition of time-lapse images in live-cells, which is available in the FV10i bench-top confocal microscope. Research projects benefiting from this instrumentation includes: studies of plant virus-host interactions, development of the neurotransmitter phenotype of motor neurons, protein interactions in Caenorhabditis elegans behavior mutants, and steroid hormone function in neural development and others. Laser confocal microscopes allow non-destructive and non-invasive microscopic imaging in three dimensions for the analysis of intact samples. The Fluoview FV10i confocal microscope represents the next-generation multi-user laser confocal microscope and significantly enhances the research capability of DSU, a Historically-Black university. The Department of Biological Sciences where this instrument will be housed has graduate programs in biology and neuroscience. The user-friendly nature of Fluoview FV10i confocal microscope will allow students and researchers at DSU to image live-cells and tissues. It will also facilitate integration of several outreach programs that DSU offers to K-12 students and teachers and thus promote teaching, learning and research training.