A high resolution, multi-functional scanning electron microscope for a multiuser interdisciplinary BioEM facility.

生物过程影响我们生活的方方面面，从我们的健康，我们吃的食物，以及我们周围的环境。为了理解这些过程，我们需要了解生物体如何运作，以及与彼此和周围环境的相互作用。成像是研究这些事件的一个非常强大的工具。电子显微镜使用电子作为照明源，以极其精细的细节观察细胞表面和内部结构，并对病毒，蛋白质和纳米颗粒等更小的结构进行成像。计算和技术方法的令人兴奋的进步正在导致具有更高分辨率的生物EM成像技术的新浪潮。新型探测器可以提供元素和物理细节信息，并将使用其他方法（如光学或荧光显微镜）生成的图像关联起来，以定位组织或其他生物材料中的特定特征、蛋白质和事件。改进的软件包和计算机编程能力还能够将组织的2D切片重建为3D模型，这为理解以前难以从二维成像中解释的复杂事件和特征提供了机会。至关重要的是，我们用一种新的最先进的显微镜取代我们目前过时的EM，这种显微镜提供了更高的分辨率和3D重建技术，以及生物样品的光学和EM显微镜比较。目前的EM由于其低分辨率和有限的能力限制了我们进行创新生物成像研究的能力。当地的EM设施主要集中在无机材料上，并不适合生物研究。我们的目标是建立一个多用户跨学科的生物成像设施围绕新的多功能显微镜。这个卓越的生物聚焦电子显微镜（BioEM）中心将为整个莱斯特大学提供研究和培训支持，并为中部地区的其他大学和工业合作者提供这些生物应用程序目前不可用。我们的目标是（1）安装一台新的场发射扫描电子显微镜，并配备阵列断层扫描和能量色散光谱仪，（2）扩大我们的跨学科研究，使其成为BBSRC理解生命规则战略的组成部分，（3）提供一个多用户核心设施，提供生物过程EM的专业培训，以支持学术和工业合作，同时促进整个中部地区的技术技能转移和（4）发展我们的行业支持的研究组合。研究成果将通过纳米级分辨率和多种分析选项得到改善。新的EM将能够更好地理解细胞结构，生物材料的元素分析以及细胞和组织的3D重建。引入这些令人兴奋的新工具将为创新的生物成像合作提供巨大的潜力，并为技术研究人员提供更多的职业机会，他们将能够在一个令人兴奋的新平台上发展实用技能和科学知识。新的EM还将补充和支持当地的材料为基础的EM设施，中部地区CryoEM设施，并与莱斯特先进成像设施集成，从而为莱斯特和中部地区的生物研究带来变革。这一核心基础设施将为本科生和研究生提供前所未有的教学和培训机会。重要的是，BioEM将为我们在微生物和人类细胞生物学方面的跨学科学术和工业研究带来变革，这些研究支持健康和疾病，抗菌素耐药性，食品安全和可持续性，以及环境生物学，地质学和考古学的研究，这些研究将共同为当前的粮食安全以及人类和动物健康问题提供信息。

Biological processes affect all aspects of our lives, from our health, the food we eat, and the environment around us. To understand these processes, we need to learn how organisms function, and interact with each other and the surrounding environment. Imaging is a very powerful tool to study these events. Electron microscopes use electrons as an illumination source to observe cell surfaces and internal structures in extremely fine detail, and image even smaller structures such as viruses, proteins and nanoparticles. Exciting advances in computational and technical approaches are now leading to a new wave of biological EM imaging techniques with even greater resolution. Novel detectors can inform on elemental and physical details and correlate images generated with other methodologies, such as light or fluorescent microscopes, to locate particular features, proteins and events within tissue or other biological materials. Improved software packages and computer programming power also enable reconstruction of 2D slices of tissue into 3D models that opens a world of opportunities in understanding complex events and features that have previously been difficult to interpret from two-dimensional imaging. It is critical that we replace our current outdated EM with a new state of the art microscope that provides significantly higher resolution and the technologies of 3D reconstruction, and light and EM microscopy comparisons of biological samples. The current EM is limiting our ability to do innovative bioimaging research due to its low resolution and limited capabilities. Local EM facilities are focussed on inorganic materials and are not ideal for biological research. Our aim is to establish a multiuser interdisciplinary bioimaging facility centred around the new multi-functional microscope. This centre of excellence for biological focussed electron microscopy (BioEM) will provide research and training support across the University of Leicester, and for other universities and industrial collaborators across the Midlands for which these biological applications are currently not available. Our objectives are to (1) install a new Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope with Array Tomography and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy, (2) expand our interdisciplinary research integral to the BBSRC strategy of understanding the rules of life, (3) provide a multi-user core facility providing specialised training in EM of biological processes to support academic and industrial collaborations, while promoting transfer of technical skills across the Midlands and (4) grow our portfolio of industry-supported research. Research output will be improved with nanoscale resolution and multiple analytical options. The new EM will enable greater understanding of cellular structures, elemental analysis of biological materials and 3D reconstruction of cells and tissues. Introducing these exciting new tools will give significant potential for innovative bioimaging collaborations and enhance career opportunities for technical research staff who will be able to develop practical skills and scientific knowledge on an exciting new platform. The new EM will also complement and provide support to the local materials-based EM facilities, the Midlands Regional CryoEM Facility and integrate with the Leicester Advanced Imaging Facility and thus be transformative for biological research in Leicester and the Midlands. This core infrastructure will provide unprecedented teaching and training opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate students. Importantly BioEM will be transformative for our interdisciplinary academic and industrial research in microbial and human cell biology underpinning health and disease, antimicrobial resistance, food safety and sustainability, and research in environmental biology, geology and archaeology that together will inform on current food security and human and animal health issues.