Request for electron microscope

描述（由申请人提供）：这是一份重新提交的申请，要求购买一台新的透射电子显微镜（TEM）来取代1979年购买的现有显微镜。我们目前的TEM已经运行了28年。它是失败的，完全不足以满足我们在马萨诸塞州总医院神经内科的大型活跃和不断扩大的研究团体的研究需求。我们的许多研究人员从事神经退行性疾病的研究，包括阿尔茨海默病、亨廷顿氏病和帕金森病。目前我们研究的一些令人兴奋的课题包括自噬在清除神经元中疾病蛋白的作用，疾病蛋白对疾病动物模型中神经递质受体的组织和再循环的影响，创伤性脑损伤中膜通透性的变化，以及轴突脱髓鞘的机制。这些和其他研究领域将大大加强在我们部门有一个新的TEM。我们中的一些人在使用电子显微镜研究神经系统方面有很长的记录。缺乏可靠运行的TEM阻碍了我们规划涉及EM分析的新方向和培训我们年轻的EM应用研究人员的能力。TEM技术的进步，特别是在自对准和数字成像能力方面有了很大的提高，这是我们的TEM所缺乏的。我们学校没有其他现代仪器。自第一次提交以来，我已经收到了141,000美元的机构承诺，用于购买新的TEM。我们也按照审稿人的建议修改了我们的申请。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a re-submission application for a request for a new transmission electron microscope (TEM) to replace an existing one that was purchased in 1979. Our current TEM has been operating for 28 years. It is failing and is wholly inadequate to serve the research needs of our large active and expanding research community in the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Many of our researchers work in neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer disease, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Some of the current exciting topics we work on include the role of autophagy in clearance of disease proteins from neurons, the effects of disease proteins on organization and recycling of neurotransmitter receptors in animal models of disease, membrane permeability changes in traumatic brain injury, and the mechanisms underlying axonal demyelination. These and other research areas will be greatly enhanced by having a new TEM in our department. Some of us have long track records in using electron microscopy to study the nervous system. The lack of a reliably functioning TEM hinders our ability to plan new directions involving EM analysis and in training our young investigators in EM applications. Advances in TEMs have greatly improved especially in capability for self-alignment and digital imaging, which we lack in our TEM. We do not have access to other modern instruments at our institution. Since the first submission, I have received an institutional commitment of $141,000 to be used toward the purchase of a new TEM. We have also improved our application by making the recommended revisions suggested by the reviewers.