MRI: Acquisition of a Multiphoton Microscope for Biomaterials Studies

核磁共振成像：为生物材料研究获得多光子显微镜对该项目更广泛意义的非技术性解释。多光子显微镜的一个突出特点是它能够同时绘制亚微米长度尺度上的化学和结构信息。Brandeis多光子显微镜正被用于阐明蛋白质结晶的机制，控制用于制药的蛋白质聚集，以及开发用于药物输送的新型蛋白质凝聚相，所有这些问题都具有重大的科学和工业意义。学生们在显微镜设施中轮换，在那里他们接受了这种最先进的设备的培训。更广泛地说，该仪器已成为NSF材料研究设施网络的一部分，因此可供全国材料科学研究人员使用。该项目的技术说明。该多光子显微镜使用多种对比度方法提供高分辨率光学图像；二次谐波产生、双光子和三光子激发荧光显微镜、荧光寿命成像、Förster共振能量转移和荧光相关光谱。高功率激光也被用来影响样品，例如，诱导蛋白质晶体成核，执行微管和肌肉的激光消融，以及执行3D打印。Brandeis正在进行的研究包括(1)蛋白质晶体成核，(2)活性物质结构，(3)膜组织，(4)剪接体组装和(5)体内细丝组装。没有其他单一的仪器有能力执行这种测量组合，以及探测和测量亚微米长度尺度上的响应的能力。

MRI: Acquisition of a Multiphoton Microscope for Biomaterials StudiesNontechnical explanation of the project's broader significance.An outstanding feature of multiphoton microscopy is its ability to simultaneously map chemical and structural information on the submicron length scale. The Brandeis multiphoton microscope is being used to elucidate the mechanisms of protein crystallization, to control protein aggregation for pharmaceutical applications and to develop novel condensed phases of proteins for drug delivery, all problems of significant scientific and industrial importance. Students rotate through the microscopy facility where they are trained on this state-of-the-art equipment. More broadly, this instrument has become part of the NSF Materials Research Facilities Network and therefore is available to materials science researchers nationally.Technical description of the project.This multiphoton microscope provides high resolution optical images using multiple contrast methods; second harmonic generation, 2- and 3-photon excitation fluorescence microscopy, fluorescence lifetime imaging, Förster resonance energy transfer and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. The high power laser is also being used to affect the sample, for example, to induce protein crystal nucleation, to perform laser ablation of microtubules and muscles and to perform 3D printing. Studies underway at Brandeis include (1) protein crystal nucleation, (2) active matter structure, (3) membrane organization, (4) spliceosome assembly and (5) filament assembly in vivo. No other single instrument has the capability to perform this ensemble of measurements, combined with the ability to probe and measure the response on submicron length-scales.