Phase Contrast Tomographic X-Ray Microscope System

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案的目标是获得资金购买高分辨率的3D x射线断层扫描显微镜系统，ZEISS Xradia 520 Versa（卡尔蔡司x射线显微镜公司，前身为Xradia公司），配备高速工作站和分析软件。南加州大学的蔡司Xradia 520 Versa的加入将促进我们许多研究人员的研究，他们的项目旨在了解控制牙齿，骨骼和心脏发育的过程，重点是开发用于修复口腔和颅面缺陷的新型组织再生方法，并提高对骨骼再生的骨重塑的理解。在本提案中，我们强调了所请求单元的各种功能将如何增强/帮助我们的用户的研究，相对于他们目前资助的NIH研究项目，或者在某些情况下，提供额外的研究能力。基于x射线的3D成像使研究人员能够以非破坏性的方式以高度的准确性和精度量化衰减生物组织的特征。许多促进我们对疾病（心脏病、骨质疏松症）发病机制的理解所需的骨骼和心血管特征来源于结构（血管、小梁）的空间分布，因此是3D图像所独有的。这些特征不能轻易地从2D图像中确定，除非一个人煞费苦心地将连续的组织学切片重建成3D堆栈。这些组织学研究是罕见的，由于禁止

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this proposal is to secure funds to purchase a high resolution 3D X-Ray Tomography Microscope System, ZEISS Xradia 520 Versa (Carl Zeiss X-ray Microscopy Inc, formerly Xradia, Inc), equipped with a high speed workstation and analysis software. The addition of ZEISS Xradia 520 Versa at USC will facilitate the research of many of our investigators whose projects are aimed at understanding the processes that govern dental, bone, and heart development with a focus on developing novel tissue regeneration methods for fixing oro- and cranio-facial defects and improved understanding of bone remodeling for skeletal regeneration. In this proposal we highlight how the various features of the requested unit will enhance/aid the research of our users, with respect to their currently funded NIH research programs or in some cases, provide additional research capabilities. X-ray based 3D imaging has allowed investigators to quantify traits of attenuating biological tissues with a high degree of accuracy and precision in a non-destructive manner. Many of the bone and cardiovascular traits needed to advance our understanding of the pathogenesis of disease (heart disease, osteoporosis) are derived from the spatial distribution of structures (vessels, trabeculae) and are thus unique to 3D images. These traits cannot be readily determined from 2D images, unless one painstakingly reconstructs serial histological sections into a 3D stack. These histological studies are rare due to the prohibitively expensive cost and tremendous effort involved in generating and reconstructing the sections The addition of this system will strengthen ongoing work in engineering, dentistry, developmental biology, and genetic medicine by current users of the USC Molecular Imaging Center (MIC), as well as greatly enhance the ability of the Center to support new research in oncology, cardiology, pathology, material sciences, and developmental biology. We have gathered 15 NIH funded investigators (11 major and 4 minor users) with research disciplines in medicine, oncology, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences, neurosciences, genetic medicine, engineering, stem cell, and developmental biology to support our current S10 application.