Scanning Electron Microscope

描述（由申请人提供）：美国国立卫生研究院资助的研究人员在宾夕法尼亚大学申请资金的共享仪器补助金，以取代18岁的扫描电子显微镜（SEM），一直是医学院（SOM）的主力。尽管我们的教职员工和显微镜公司都尽了最大的努力和大量的投资，但在过去的几年里，宾夕法尼亚大学医学研究人员唯一可用的SEM一直不可靠，最近变得几乎无法使用。该提案的目的是提供FEI Quanta 250显微镜，该显微镜将满足使用SEM检查传统脱水金属涂层样品的基本需求，但也包括相关光学显微镜-SEM，水合样品成像和胶体金颗粒的背散射电子检测的能力。该仪器将支持广泛的 整个SOM和整个校园的研究。这里描述的研究需要大大增强该系统的成像能力，用于NIH资助的研究项目。具体来说，所有研究人员在他们的研究中使用各种类型的光学显微镜，并要求 将以这种方式获得的图像与更高分辨率的SEM图像相关联的能力。大多数科学家还需要识别和定位细胞或其他结构表面上的特定大分子，这需要背散射电子检测器。由于众所周知的文物脱水和金属涂层，能够通过环境扫描电镜图像水合试样现在是必要的。我们预计，由于这些新功能，对SEM的需求和使用将继续上升。对该SEM的非常强大和广泛的支持的一个迹象是来自细胞和发育生物学系的大量配套资金的承诺，以及电子显微镜资源实验室中的仪器，生物化学和生物物理学系的核心支持和管理，以及SOM管理部门的认可和支持，即SEM是战略必要性。这种新的显微镜将使基本的生物医学问题得到解决，否则将是不可能的，将确保从研究人员的持续生产力，并将保持我们的核心设施的显微镜培训使命。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): NIH-funded researchers at the University of Pennsylvania request funds for a shared instrumentation grant to replace an 18-year old scanning electron microscope (SEM) that has been a workhorse for the School of Medicine (SOM). Despite the best efforts and significant investment of both our faculty and staff and the microscope company, this only SEM available to Penn Medicine researchers has been unreliable for the past few years and has recently become practically unusable. The aim of this proposal is to provide a FEI Quanta 250 microscope that will serve the basic needs for the examination of traditional dehydrated, metal coated samples with SEM, but also including the capability for correlative light microscopy-SEM, imaging of hydrated samples, and back-scattered electron detection of colloidal gold particles. This instrument will support a wide range of research throughout the SOM and across the campus. The studies described here require the substantially enhanced imaging capabilities of this system for NIH-funded research projects. Specifically, all investigators use various types of light microscopy in their research and require the ability to correlate the images obtained in this manner with higher resolution SEM images. Most of the scientists also require the identification and localization of specific macromolecules on the surface of cells or other structures, which requires a back-scattered electron detector. Because of the well-known artifacts of dehydration and metal coating, the ability to image hydrated specimens by environmental SEM is now necessary. We expect that demand and usage for the SEM will continue to rise as a consequence of these new capabilities. An indication of the very strong and broad support for this SEM is the commitment of substantial matching funds from the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, together with the inclusion of the instrument in the Electron Microscopy Resource Laboratory, with core support and administration by the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, and the recognition and support of the SOM administration that SEM is a strategic necessity. This new microscope will allow fundamental biomedical problems to be addressed that would otherwise not be possible, will ensure continued productivity from the researchers, and will maintain the microscopy-training mission of our core facilities.