Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope LSM 710 #5

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目的是在显微镜服务实验室（MSL）购买一台蔡司LSM 710共聚焦激光扫描显微镜（CLSM），该实验室是病理学和检验医学系的核心设施，为癌症研究中心和医学院研究社区服务。自从五年前我们用两种更现代的仪器取代了过时的CLSM以来，我们看到CLSM在许多研究领域的使用有了巨大的增长。我们现有的仪器被来自42个部门和中心的252名首席研究员的400多名科学家使用了90%的全容量。现在，共聚焦激光扫描显微镜已经成为许多实验室研究的重要组成部分，现有仪器的局限性对许多当前的CLSM用户来说已经变得非常明显。拟议的CLSM将极大地扩展使用该核心设施的研究人员的研究能力。研究人员现在需要在同一标本中解决多个荧光标记；许多研究需要亚细胞成像深入水装样品，许多样品是组织具有高本征背景荧光；一次数据收集可能需要数百张图像，在许多情况下，必须重建三维结构。新仪器具有多种激光激发波长选择，并结合多通道光谱光电倍增管检测系统，可同时分离多种荧光染料。标准光电倍增管也存在于传统的共聚焦成像。新系统还通过一些创新的光清除系统承诺更高的光收集能力。这些特点结合在一起，产生了一种仪器，将为北卡罗来纳大学的研究人员提供很好的服务。MSL的工作人员都是显微镜成像技术方面的专家，在服务设施方面也很熟练。他们将由一个内部咨询委员会指导。医学院有医学院的大力支持，占地2000平方米。6英尺的空间位于医疗综合体的中心。该设施的新扩展容量CLSM将使许多研究人员能够获得新的和至关重要的技术，从而使北卡罗来纳大学的医学研究界受益。该仪器是新一代的多光谱clsm，取代了MSL和其他现有的校园光谱clsm技术。公共卫生相关性：这是一份为显微镜服务实验室购买蔡司LSM 710共聚焦激光扫描显微镜的申请，该实验室是由病理学和检验医学系、癌症研究中心和医学院支持的核心设施。这台新仪器是必需的，因为我们的科学家面临的科学问题需要这台机器的额外能力，以同时检测不同荧光标签标记的大量分子，并能够抑制必须检查的组织和结构的自身荧光。新仪器将位于显微镜服务实验室，这是一个长期运行的核心设施，由显微镜成像技术专家组成，作为一个多用户服务设施，它的功能非常有效，并得到了部门、中心和学校的良好支持。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The purpose of this proposal is to purchase a Zeiss LSM 710 confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) in the Microscopy Services Laboratory (MSL), a core facility in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine that serves the Cancer Research Center and the Medical School research community. Since we replaced an out of date CLSM five years ago with two more modern instruments we have seen tremendous growth in the use of CLSMs in numerous areas of research. Our existing instruments were used 90% of full capacity by over 400 scientists working under 252 of principal investigators from 42 departments and centers. Now that confocal laser scanning microscopy has become a vital component of research in so many laboratories the limitations of the available instruments has become vividly evident to a number of the current CLSM users. The proposed CLSM will greatly expand research capabilities of investigators who use this core facility. Researchers now need to resolve multiple fluorescent labels in the same specimens; many studies require subcellular imaging deep within an aqueous mounted sample, many samples are tissues with high intrinsic background fluorescence; several hundred images may be required for a single data collection run, and in many cases three dimensional structures must be reconstructed. The new instrument has a large selection of laser excitation wavelengths combined with a multi-channel spectral photomultiplier detection system for separation of many fluorescent dyes used simultaneously. Standard photomultipliers are also present for conventional confocal imaging. The new system also promises higher light gathering power through some innovative light scavenging systems. These features combine to produce an instrument that will serve researchers at UNC well into the future. Members of the MSL staff are experts in microscope imaging technology and are skilled in functioning as a service facility. They will be guided by an internal advisory committee. The MSL is well supported by the School of Medicine and occupies 2,000 sq. ft. of space centrally located in the medical complex. The new expanded-capacity CLSM in this facility will benefit the medical research community at UNC by making new and vitally-required technology accessible to many investigators. This instrument is a new generation of multi-spectral CLSMs that supplants the technology of the MSL and the other existing spectral CLSMs on campus. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This is an application to purchase a Zeiss LSM 710 confocal laser scanning microscope for the Microscopy Services Laboratory, a core facility supported by the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, the Cancer Research Center and the Medical School. This new instrument is required because the scientific problems that confront our scientists require this machine's additional capacity to detect simultaneously larger numbers of molecules labeled with different fluorescent tags and its ability to suppress the auto-fluorescence of tissues and structures that must be examined. The new instrument will be located in the Microscopy Services Laboratory, which is a long-running core facility staffed by experts in microscope imaging technology, that functions very efficiently as a multi-user service facility and is very well supported by the department, center and school.