MRI: Acquisition of a Lumicks C-Trap microscope for the study of biomaterials at the nanoscale and education in the South East

埃默里大学获得了一项奖励，以支持收购一种新的先进显微镜，该显微镜结合了用于高精度机械牵引的光镊和用于微流控细胞中单分子光谱定位的nm分辨率荧光检测，允许快速和非破坏性的实验条件交换。 在埃默里大学，这种显微镜的收购将增强和扩展现有的，并使新的项目，从基因组转录和维护肌肉蛋白质功能的机械生物化学，血液中的剪切传感，分子张力传感器和电机的设计和材料纳米物理。 该系统将直接影响研究和培训基础设施，本科和研究生教育的质量，并最终影响STEM教育。 通过格鲁吉亚研究联盟，该显微镜将成为亚特兰大地区研究型大学共享的核心研究设施的一部分。通过收购该系统，研究项目将能够i）了解基因组水平的关键过程，例如延长RNA聚合酶对通常与DNA结合的调节蛋白的影响（反之亦然）和基因组的修复和编辑; ii）理解活肌肉和血细胞中的力感测机制; iii）设计用于生物技术应用的分子力传感器、探针和马达;以及iv）扩展了可应用先进荧光检测技术的长度范围。将通过这些调查转变的研究领域的范围很广，将基础与应用研究以及用户之间的自然协同作用联系起来，这将导致埃默里大学更强大，更好的综合研究环境。 这些研究的结果将发表在同行评审的期刊上，并在科学会议上发表。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为是值得通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估的支持。

An award is made to Emory University to support the acquisition of a new advanced microscope that combines optical tweezers for high precision mechanical pulling and nm-resolution fluorescence detection for spectroscopic localization of single molecules in microfluidic cells that allow rapid and non-disruptive exchange of experimental conditions. At Emory, the acquisition of this microscope will enhance and extend existing, and enable new, projects spanning from genome transcription and maintenance to the mechano-biochemistry of muscle protein function, shear sensing in blood, the design of molecular tension sensors and motors and materials nano-physics. The system will directly impact research and training infrastructure, the quality of undergraduate and graduate education and, ultimately, STEM education. The microscope will be part of the Core Research Facilities shared among the research Universities in the Atlanta area through the Georgia Research Alliance.The research projects enabled by the acquisition of this system will allow i) the understanding of key processes at the level of the genome such as the effect of elongating RNA polymerase on regulatory proteins normally bound to DNA (and vice versa) and the repair and editing of the genome; ii) understanding of the mechanism of force sensing in living muscle and blood cells; iii) the design of molecular force sensors, probes and motors for biotechnological applications; and iv) extension of the length scale over which advanced fluorescent detection techniques are applicable. The spectrum of research areas that will be transformed by these investigations is broad, connects fundamental with applied research and the natural synergies among the users which will lead to a stronger and better integrated research environment at Emory. Results from these studies will be published in peer-reviewed journals and presented at scientific meetings.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.