Andor Revolution Spinning Disk Confocal and Nikon PerfectFocus TIRF Microscope

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案代表了一项资金申请，用于从一组PHS资助的研究人员那里购买Nikon Perfect Focus TIRF显微镜上的Andor Revolution XD旋转盘共聚焦系统，这些研究人员具有重叠的成像需求。该系统将被安置在生物科学系的共享成像设施中，该设施由分子生物传感器和成像中心（MBIC）运营，作为卡内基梅隆大学梅隆科学学院的多用户设施。MBIC目前是仅有的五个网络和路径国家技术中心之一。其核心使命是开发光学生物传感器和成像信息学技术，用于检测活细胞和生物组织内的分子水平相互作用。 收购拟议的仪器将提供现场访问最先进的高速多色共聚焦和TIRF显微镜仪器在梅隆研究所，这是必不可少的各种活细胞和膜运输实验，以及常规分析和表征的荧光探针技术内开发的MBIC。目前MBIC和合作教师的研究实验室内可用的仪器都是老化和不支持或目前充分利用。虽然在一般匹兹堡地区可以使用其他先进的显微镜仪器，但我们发现，这对使用活细胞和发育胚胎的实验造成了后勤问题，并且对此类实验不实用。此外，所提出的系统的能力满足了现有仪器无法满足的一些当前需求。 由于MBIC是一个多学科的合作中心，汇集了卡内基梅隆大学的多个学术部门，学院和研究机构的教师，所收购的仪器将为整个大学的研究人员提供大幅提高的成像能力，以融入他们的研究计划，并将提供新的机会，使用先进的显微镜和成像方法来解决基本的生物学问题。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal represents a request for funds to purchase an Andor Revolution XD Spinning Disk Confocal System on a Nikon Perfect Focus TIRF Microscope from a group of PHS funded investigators having overlapping imaging needs. The system will be housed in the Department of Biological Sciences' Shared Imaging Facility, which is operated by the Molecular Biosensor and Imaging Center (MBIC) as a multi-user facility in the Mellon College of Science at Carnegie Mellon University. MBIC is currently funded as one of only five National Technology Centers for Networks and Pathways. Its core mission is to develop optical biosensor and imaging informatics technologies for the detection of molecular-level interactions within living cells and biological tissues. The acquisition of the proposed instrument will provide on-site access to state of the art high-speed multi- color confocal and TIRF microscopy instrumentation within the Mellon Institute, which is essential for a variety of live cell and membrane trafficking experiments, as well as for routine analysis and characterization of the fluorescent probe technology developed within MBIC. Instruments that are currently available within MBIC and partner faculty's research laboratories are both aged and unsupported or currently fully utilized. While access to other advanced microscopy instrumentation is possible within the general Pittsburgh area, we have found that this poses a logistical problem for experiments using living cells and developing embryos and is not practical for experiments of this kind. In addition, the capabilities of the proposed system meets a number of current needs that existing instrumentation is incapable of fulfilling. Since MBIC is a multi-disciplinary collaborative center which brings together a diverse collection of Carnegie Mellon faculty spanning several academic departments, colleges and research institutes, the acquired instrument will provide investigators across the university with substantially improved imaging capabilities to integrate into their research programs and will provide new opportunities to address fundamental biological questions using advanced microscopy and imaging methodologies.