ONI Nanoimager benchtop single molecule fluorescence and STORM imager LMB 2022/05

生物过程发生在许多长度尺度上。作为人类，我们可以在许多层面上研究自己，包括全身、器官、单个细胞，甚至是特定分子相互作用的层面。在疾病的情况下，通常有必要在这个分子水平上研究一个过程。药物本身是一种分子，旨在与我们体内的其他几个特定分子相互作用，意图阻止或逆转疾病过程。考虑到这一点，重要的是科学家们必须拥有工具，使他们能够窥探极其精细的生物过程。光学显微镜就是这样的工具之一。光学显微镜有很长的历史，可以洞察肉眼无法看到的生物过程和疾病过程。然而，光学显微镜有其局限性。我们不能在远低于单细胞水平的水平上观察生命。例如，即使是最好的光学显微镜也只能看到细菌。引起疾病的病毒通常太小了，根本看不见。近年来，人们已经找到了解决这个问题的办法。我们现在能够观察到比以前更精细十倍甚至一百倍的细节。这样做的诀窍是以一种非常特定的方式突出一个分子，这样它现在就可以在光学显微镜中检测到。在其他方面，显微镜与百年来使用的显微镜没有什么不同。使用最新和最灵敏的显微镜相机，有可能以前所未有的精度定位突出显示的分子。这反过来意味着我们可以在只比分子本身大几倍的长度尺度上建立起突出显示的分子之间的关系。广义地说，这种新的光学显微镜方法被称为超分辨率显微镜。有了这笔购买超级分辨率显微镜的赠款申请，我们寻求购买一种仪器，它可以让我们对多种不同分子类型之间的相互作用进行成像，每种分子类型都以不同的颜色突出显示。我们的目标是在分子水平上了解基本的生物过程和相互作用。其目的是，这些获得的信息可以为疾病过程提供新的见解，并在以后导致新的治疗策略的发明。

Biological processes happen on many length scales. As humans, we can study ourselves at many levels, the whole body, organs, single cells or even right down to the level of specific molecular interactions. In the case of disease it is often necessary to study a process at this molecular level. A drug itself is a molecule designed to interact with a few other specific molecules within our bodies with the intent to stop or reverse a disease process. With this in mind, it is important that scientists have tools that allow them to peer into biological processes in extremely fine detail.One such tool is the light microscope. Light microscopy has a long history of giving insight into biological processes and disease processes that cannot be seen with the naked eye. However light microscopy has limits. We cannot observe life at much below the single cell level. Bacteria are for example are only just visible in even the best light microscopes. Disease causing viruses are in general too small to be seen at all. In recent years a solution to this problem has been found. We are now able to observe detail ten times or even one hundred times finer than previously possible. The trick used to do this is to highlight a molecule in a very specific manner such that it is now detectable in a light microscope. In other aspects the microscope is no different to those in use for a hundred years. Using the latest and most sensitive microscope cameras it is possible to locate that highlighted molecule with unprecedented precision. This in turn means we can establish relation ships betwen highlighted molecules on lenght scales only a few time bigger than the molecule itself. Broadly speaking this novel light microscopy method is known as superresolution microscopy. With this grant application to buy a super resolution microscope, we seek to purchase an instrument that lets us image interactions between multiple different molecule types, each highlighted in a different colour. Our goal is to understand fundamental biological processes and interactions at the molecular level. The intent is that such information gained can provide new insight into disease processes and later lead to the invention of new theraputic strategies.