Multi-Channel Fluorescence Morphometry Workstation

描述(由申请人提供)：我们在佛蒙特大学医学院医学系内分泌学、新陈代谢和糖尿病部门(内分泌生物联盟)的活跃研究联盟正在申请资金，以购买新的倒置荧光显微镜/形态测量工作站，作为我们团队常规成像要求的基本仪器。该显微镜系统将是我们目前已有30年历史的蔡司光学显微镜系统的重要补充：直立支架(通用)是我们的主要主力，而倒置支架(IM50)具有共享的物镜，两者均采用单点红外数码相机系统。在现有显微镜的基础上增加新的倒置显微镜系统，是为了增强我们目前的荧光成像能力，使我们的过时系统目前不支持更广泛的形态测量和高分辨率成像应用。现代化的电动工作台、聚焦系统和滤光片更改器也将满足我们对更高吞吐量/高分辨率形态分析日益增长的需求。这特别适合于我们对可重复采样以及活体细胞/组织成像研究的需求。此外，内生生物联盟(EBC)的整个团队将于2008年6月永久搬迁到距离校园3英里的一座新装修的建筑，这将显著影响我们“每天”使用UVM显微镜成像核心设施的能力。多年来，EBC一直是这些核心设施的主要用户，而且将继续是，然而，拟议的显微镜系统将在未来几年作为维持我们研究计划的日常需求以及提高我们成像和分析能力的效率和整体质量的重要和必要工具。UVM的EBC高度依赖于最先进的显微镜成像策略和形态测量。目前，常规石蜡组织包埋、显微解剖、显微切割和组织学/免疫组织化学染色所需的所有设备都已提供给我们。此外，还配备了四台专门的Macintosh G5成像工作站、一台尼康微载玻片扫描仪以及用于形态测量分析的最新分析软件。这项研究计划清楚地证明了我们的用户群体需要一个多通道荧光显微镜成像系统，使我们能够继续进行到目前为止我们一直从事的高质量的科学研究，并特别展示了新的尼康Ti-E倒置显微镜成像系统的实用性，该系统将增强我们严重过时的蔡司研究显微镜，使我们更加高效和高产。5个实验室已被确定为主要用户，因为考虑到它们现有的和拟议的应用需求，它们几乎占仪器预计需求的100%。尚未确定身份的次要用户可能会在拟议的新系统上占用时间。内生生物联盟是医学院中第一个从旧的给定大楼搬进这个新的、特别指定的研究综合体的“先驱”小组；因此，随着新大楼在不久的将来被其他研究小组占用，我们也预计其他研究人员需要进入这个系统。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our active research consortium in the Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes Division (The Endo- biology Consortium) of the Department of Medicine at the University Of Vermont College Of Medicine are requesting funds to buy a new inverted fluorescence microscope/morphometry workstation as an essential instrument for our group's routine imaging requirements. This microscope system will be a essential addition to our current >30 year old Zeiss photomicroscope systems: an upright stand (Universal), our principal workhorse, and an inverted stand (IM50) with shared objectives, both utilizing a single Spot IR digital camera system. The rationale for the addition to the existing microscopes by a new inverted microscope system is to enhance our current fluorescence imaging capabilities with a broader range of morphometric and high resolution imaging applications presently not supported by our outdated system. A modern motorized stage, focus system, and filter changers will also meet the progressively increasing demand that we are experiencing for higher throughput/high resolution morphometric analyses. This is especially ideal for our needs for reproducible sampling as well as for live cell/tissue imaging studies. Furthermore, the entire group of the Endo- biology Consortium (EBC) will be moving permanently to a newly renovated building, 3 miles off campus, in June 2008 that will significantly impact our ability to use the facilities of the UVM Microscope Imaging Core on an "every day" basis. The EBC has been a major user of these core facilities for several years, and will continue to be, however, the proposed microscope system will serve as a vital and necessary instrument to maintain the daily needs of our research programs as well as to improve the efficiency and overall quality of our imaging and analytic capabilities for years to come. The EBC at UVM is highly dependent on state-of-the-art microscope imaging strategies and morphometry. Currently, all the equipment necessary for routine paraffin tissue embedding, microdissection, microtomy, and histological/immunohistochemical, staining is available to us. This, along with four dedicated Macintosh G5 imaging workstations, a Nikon microslide scanner, and the latest analytical software for morphometric analyses. This research plan clearly demonstrates the necessity of a multi-channel fluorescence microscope imaging system for our user group to enable us to continue to carry out the high quality scientific inquiries that we have been engaged upon up to this point, and specifically shows the utility of a new Nikon Ti- E inverted microscope imaging system which would augment our severely outdated Zeiss research microscopes making us more even more efficient and productive. Five laboratories have been identified as the main users since they constitute nearly 100% of the projected demand for the instrument given their existing and proposed application requirements. Minor users who have not yet been identified may occupy time on the proposed new system. The Endo-biology Consortium are the first "pioneer" group in the College of Medicine to move into this new, specifically designated, research complex from the old Given Building; therefore, as the new building becomes occupied by other research groups in the near future, we also anticipate the need for access of this system by other research workers.