A Confocal Stereology Microscope for UNM's Fluorescence Microscopy Core

描述（由申请人提供）：基于设计的立体学已经成为确保大脑（和其他）组织切片中细胞数量和体积估计无偏倚的必要方法。表达的用户需求是购买MBF Bioscience集成共聚焦立体系统的基础，该系统将提供复杂组织样本中精确、公正的细胞计数和形态学鉴定。此外，该仪器将允许自动获取来自多个领域和组织切片的图像堆栈，将研究人员从繁琐的显微镜上解放出来。获取的图像将离线进行分析，从而使更多需要使用立体学的用户可以使用该仪器。该仪器将被安置在一个机构支持的核心设施中，以确保出色的技术支持。新墨西哥大学大脑和行为疾病签名小组的五名成员代表了主要的使用者，他们的研究兴趣是缺血导致的脑损伤、与酒精滥用有关的成瘾行为和新生儿脑积水导致的神经发育障碍。另外还有三个研究癌症、遗传性肾病和宿主-病原体相互作用的小用户。总共有1030万美元的NIH资助的研究经费将受益于新的定量能力。公共卫生相关性：美国国立卫生研究院资助的新墨西哥大学的研究人员要求为一种新的显微镜系统提供资金，该系统将允许对组织样本进行自动定量分析。该系统将使研究人员能够加快发现与中风、药物滥用和出生缺陷有关的脑损伤。其他用途将有利于耐药细菌感染、遗传性肾病和癌症的研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Design-based stereology has become the required method for insuring that cell number and volume estimates in brain (and other) tissue sections are unbiased. Expressed user need underlies this proposal to purchase an integrated confocal stereology system from MBF Bioscience that will provide accurate, unbiased counting and morphological identification of cells in complex tissue samples. In addition, the instrument will allow automatic acquisition of image stacks from multiple fields and tissue sections, freeing the researcher from tedious time on the microscope. The acquired images will be analyzed offline, freeing the instrument for use by greater numbers of users needing access to stereology. The instrument will be housed in an institutionally supported core facility, ensuring outstanding technical support. Five members of the Brain and Behavioral Illness Signature group at the University of New Mexico with research interests in brain injury resulting from ischemia, addictive behavior related to alcohol abuse, and neurodevelopmental disorders resulting from neonatal hydrocephalus, represent the major users. Three minor users studying cancer, genetic kidney disease and host-pathogen interactions round out the group. In total, $10.3 million in NIH funded research grants will benefit from the new quantitative capabilities. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: NIH funded investigators at the University of New Mexico request monies for a new microscope system that will allow automated and quantitative analysis of tissue samples. The system will enable researchers to speed discoveries related to brain injury from stroke, substance abuse and birth defects. Other uses will benefit studies on drug resistant bacterial infections, genetic kidney disease and cancer.