Automated high-resolution microscope platform with robotics to study pharmacodynamics in 3D cell cultures

动物中的细胞暴露在环境的变化中(生化信号、温度、机械力、光线变化……)。他们必须解读这些信息，以适应并做出适当的反应。然而，生物体中的细胞并不是孤立地运作的--它们是复杂的三维(3D)环境的一部分。因此，通过实验重建这样的环境并可视化内部的单个细胞，甚至3D的亚细胞组织的能力，对于研究生物过程是必不可少的。成像技术发展迅速，可以在包括加班在内的多细胞环境中研究单个细胞，科学进步也很快。为了能够同时对大量活体样本成像，我们需要快速、自动化的显微镜，这种显微镜可以确保随着时间的推移获得高质量的图像，而不需要用户手动输入。我们建议购买一台简单易用的显微镜(蔡司的Celldiscoverer 7)，它允许：1)生物过程的实时自动成像2)2D和3D样品的高质量成像，无论是固定的还是活的，而不需要特定或复杂的样品准备3)生理条件下的成像(受控温度、湿度、二氧化碳、O2)。CellDiscovery 7是一种多功能显微镜，具有多种功能，能够快速成像2D和3D样品中的精细结构。我们将把它安装在利物浦细胞成像中心(CCI)，这是一个开放访问的共享设施，每年约有100名来自学术界和工业界的注册用户。该显微镜将服务于MRC职权范围内的广泛科学领域。

Cells in an animal are exposed to changes in their environment (biochemical signals, temperature, mechanical forces, light variations...). They have to interpret this information to adapt and respond appropriately. However, cells in an organism do not function in isolation - they are part of a complex three dimensional (3D) environment. The ability to experimentally recreate such environments and visualise individual cells within, and even subcellular organisation in 3D is therefore essential to study biological processes. Imaging technologies are developing fast to study individual cells in a multicellular environment including overtime, and science is progressing at a fast pace. To be able to image a large number of living samples simultaneously, we need fast, automated microscopes, which ensure high-quality images over time without the need for manual user input. We propose to purchase an easy-to-use microscope (Celldiscoverer 7, from Zeiss), which allows:1) Automated imaging of the biological processes in real-time2) High-quality imaging of 2D & 3D samples, fixed or living, without the need for specific or complex sample preparation3) Imaging in physiological conditions (controlled temperature, humidity, CO2, O2).The Celldiscoverer 7 is a versatile microscope, with multiple capabilities enabling fast imaging of fine structures in 2D and 3D samples. We will install it in the Liverpool Centre for Cell Imaging (CCI), an open-access shared facility with ~100 registered users/year, from academia and industry. The microscope will serve a breadth of science across the MRC remit.