Upgrade of current CompuCyte LSC??? to the CompuCyte iCys??? Laser Scanning Cytom

描述(申请人提供)：自从2000年购买我们的激光扫描细胞仪(LSC)以来，成像细胞仪的硬件和软件技术都有了重大的进步。CompuCyte已经启动了一项计划，LSC用户可以将他们的仪器升级到较新的ICYS成像细胞仪。此次升级利用了LSC的一些现有部件，包括带有监视器的激光器和摄像机，大大降低了购买新系统的成本。显微镜将被倒置的奥林巴斯IX-71显微镜取代。这一变化允许以多种格式进行高通量扫描，包括显微镜载玻片、室载玻片、微滴定板和培养皿。通过这种方式，可以实时查看活细胞，并且可以在一次检测中的多个时间点进行测量。ICYS的其他一些技术进步包括仪器扫描载玻片或平板的不同部分时的自动对焦，极大地改进了扫描时间和效率，以及新的自动数据分析功能。CompuCyte是这些独特的分析型细胞仪的唯一制造商，它不仅可以对生物细胞和组织样本进行成像，还可以对许多荧光和颜色参数进行复杂的量化。一些研究人员对分析活细胞中的生化事件感兴趣，如诱导细胞凋亡、氧化还原状态的变化、转录因子易位和受体介导的内吞作用。尽管LSC允许对这些事件进行终点分析，但很难捕捉到实际的顺序和时序。因此，ICYS的升级将是我们校园内最先进的生物医学研究设备的一个非常重要的补充。它将补充现有的流式细胞仪和共聚焦显微镜的能力，允许新的研究应用，并将成为蒙大拿州唯一的定量成像研究细胞仪。这使我们的研究人员处于研究技术的前沿，并有助于他们在重大国家拨款项目上保持竞争力，这些项目对我们对毒理学和药理学事件的理解具有深远影响，所有这些都将影响我们解决许多公共卫生问题的能力。正如提案中概述的那样，一些调查人员将从这一新系统中受益，不仅在他们现有的研究项目中，而且在他们目前无法解决的新问题上。总而言之，我们的建议不仅涵盖了对已经在使用并在优秀仪器核心设施中维护的宝贵仪器的重要升级，而且显著增加了其解决关键生物医学研究问题的能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Since the purchase of our laser scanning cytometer (LSC) in 2000, there have been major advances in technology, both in hardware and software for imaging cytometers. CompuCyte has initiated a program whereby LSC users can upgrade their instrument to the newer iCys imaging cytometer. The upgrade takes advantage of using some of the existing parts of the LSC, including the lasers and video camera with monitor, significantly lowering the cost of purchasing a new system. The microscope will be replaced with an inverted Olympus IX-71 microscope. This change allows high throughput scanning in many formats, including microscope slides, chamber slides, microtiter plates, and Petri dishes. In this way, live cells can be viewed in real time, and measurements can be taken at multiple time points in an assay. Some of the other technological advances of the iCys" include autofocus as the instrument scans various parts of a slide or plate, vastly improving scanning time and efficiency, and new automatic data analysis capabilities. CompuCyte is the only manufacturer of these unique analytical cytometers that allow not only for imaging of biological cell and tissue samples, but also sophisticated quantification of many fluorescence and chromatic parameters. Several investigators are interested in being able to analyze biochemical events in live cells, such as induction of apoptosis, changes in redox status, transcription factor translocation, and receptor- mediated endocytosis. Although the LSC allows end point analysis of these events, it is very difficult to capture the actual sequence and timing. The iCys" upgrade will therefore be a very important addition to our state-of-the-art biomedical research equipment on campus. It will complement the existing flow cytometric and confocal microscopy capabilities, allow for novel research applications, and will become the only quantitative imaging research cytometer in Montana. This puts our investigators at the cutting edge of research technologies and helps keep them competitive for major national grant funding on projects that have profound impacts on our understanding of toxicological and pharmacological events, all of which will affect our ability to address many public health issues. As outlined in the proposal, a number of investigators will benefit from this new system, not only in their existing research projects, but also in new questions that they are currently unable to address. In summary, our proposal covers not only an important upgrade of a valuable instrument that is already in use and maintained within an excellent instrument core facility, but adds significantly to its capabilities in addressing critical biomedical research questions.