Flourescence and Luminescense Lifetime Instrument

描述(由申请人提供)：我们正在申请购买PicoQuant FluoTime 200荧光寿命仪器的资金。这台仪器将增强并最终取代我们已有13年历史的PTI LaserStrobe荧光寿命系统，该系统最初是由俄亥俄州立大学生物化学系购买的，是Farrens博士招聘计划的一部分。目前，PTI LaserStrobe是在OHSU和大波特兰地区测量荧光寿命的唯一可用的系统。它在许多出版物和发现中发挥了重要作用，并为科学家和研究生(包括当地和来访的)提供了一个学习在生物学研究中使用荧光寿命的培训机会。然而，PTI仪器现在已有13年多的历史，变得不可靠，维护变得困难。此外，所使用的技术(氮气泵浦染料激光与频闪探测)严重过时，目前无法对低于~500ps的寿命进行精确测量，或各向异性测量。因此，我们需要一个新的工具来研究这项申请中的7名参与者正在进行的科学研究。我们考虑了几种仪器，但最终我们选择了PicoQuant的系统，因为他们在制造基于激光二极管的荧光寿命系统方面拥有最长的经验，而且他们在仪器稳定性和健壮性方面的声誉是杰出的。该仪器将支持的研究包括从蛋白质折叠和组装到信号转导和金属运输，以及继续开发用于研究蛋白质结构、功能和动力学的荧光方法。我们的计划是为OHSU的科学家和周围地区的研究人员提供专业知识、培训和仪器访问。为了实现这一目标，需要一种现代最先进的荧光寿命仪器。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We are requesting funds to purchase a PicoQuant FluoTime 200 fluorescence lifetime instrument. This instrument will augment and ultimately replace our 13 year old PTI LaserStrobe fluorescence lifetime system, which was originally purchased by the OHSU Department of Biochemistry as part of the recruitment package for Dr. Farrens. Presently, the PTI LaserStrobe is the only available system for measuring fluorescence lifetimes at OHSU and in the greater Portland area. It has proven instrumental in numerous publications and discoveries, and has served as a training opportunity for scientists and graduate students (both local and visiting) to learn about the use of fluorescence lifetimes in biological studies. However, the PTI instrument is now over 13 years old and is becoming unreliable, and maintenance is becoming difficult. Furthermore, the technology used (nitrogen-pumped dye laser with stroboscopic detection) is severely out of date, and presently does not enable precise measurements for lifetimes below ~ 500 ps, or anisotropy measurements. Thus, we need a new instrument to pursue the science being carried out by the 7 participants in this application. We considered several instruments, but ultimately we chose to go with a system from PicoQuant, as they have the longest experience in making laser-diode based fluorescence lifetime systems and their reputation for instrument stability and robustness is outstanding. The research that will be supported by this instrument includes subjects ranging from protein folding and assembly to signal transduction and metal transport, to the continued development of fluorescence methods for studying protein structure, function and dynamics. Our plan is to provide expertise, training and instrument access to scientists at OHSU and to researchers in the surrounding region. A modern state of the art fluorescence lifetime instrument is required to achieve this goal.