Live microscopy and cytometry in vascular biology

描述（由申请人提供）：这是一个多学科合作研究项目，汇集了来自多个机构的研究人员，跨越技术和学科界限。该小组对血管生物学有共同的兴趣，特别是在眼睛方面，特别是在应用现代光学技术来回答与血管生物学相关的关键问题。该技术平台将基于先前由Schepens眼科研究所和Wellman光电医学实验室开发的扫描激光检眼镜和实时体内共聚焦显微镜。现有技术将随着新的发展而得到加强，以提高图像分辨率、对比度、灵敏度、量化方法和活体动物成像的灵活性。要解决的具体问题包括：

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a multidisciplinary, collaborative research program bringing together investigators from several institutions to work across technology and disciplinary boundaries. The group shares a common interest in vascular biology, particularly in the eye, and specifically in the application of modern optical technology to answer critical questions related to vascular biology. The technology platform will be based on the scanning laser ophthalmoscope and the real-time in vivo confocal microscope previously developed at Schepens Eye Research Institute and at the Wellman Laboratories of Photomedicine. The existing technology will be enhanced with new development to improve image resolution, contrast, sensitivity, methods for quantification, and flexibility of imaging in living animals. Specific questions to be addressed include: 1. What are the cellular processes governing normal vascular development and stabilization? 2. What are the factors governing angiogenesis, Iymphangiogenesis, and immune cell trafficking? 3. What are the cellular mechanisms for the development of sickle cell and diabetic retinopathy? 4. Can we visualize early changes in the retinal pigment epithelium noninvasively in vivo? 5. Can we detect circulating cells in vivo without drawing blood? Is the number of circulating tumor cells a good predictor for tumor burden and response to therapy? Imaging at the cellular level will enable biologists to study problems in living animals over time, gaining physiological insights beyond what can be obtained by classic static measurement (histology, immunocytochemistry, etc.), substantially reducing the number of animals required to answer these critical questions.