A Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscope for the Maritimes

现在，强大的新技术使研究人员能够将荧光标记附着到单个分子上，并跟踪它们在活细胞内的运动和活动。这项技术的实用性仅受检测方法的限制;并非每台显微镜都配备了跟踪单个荧光分子的设备。TIRF显微镜允许活细胞内单个分子的上级可视化。我们建议升级现有的显微镜，使TIRF显微镜。这种成本效益高的方法将大大提高八名研究人员及其受训人员的研究生产力。作为海洋时代唯一的TIRF显微镜，我们预计它将成为学术研究和培训的区域资源。这项技术将被应用于了解蛋白质如何相互作用或对不同的治疗作出反应，以及这些蛋白质如何单独或与其他蛋白质一起调节或改变细胞的正常功能。使用这种活细胞成像系统进行的研究将为正常细胞功能以及细胞如何应对各种压力提供重要见解。

Powerful new techniques now allow researchers to attach fluorescent tags to individual molecules and track their movement and activity inside a living cell. The utility of this technology is only limited by the method of detection; not every microscope is equipped to track individual fluorescent molecules. TIRF microscopy allows for superior visualization of single molecules inside a living cell. We propose to upgrade an existing microscope to enable TIRF microscopy. This cost-effective approach will greatly advance the research productivity of eight researchers and their trainees. As the only TIRF-enabled microscope in the Maritimes, we anticipate that it will become a regional resource for academic research and training. This technology will be applied to understand how proteins interact with each other or respond to different treatments, and how these proteins work alone or together with other proteins to regulate or alter the normal function of cells. Studies performed with this live cell imaging system will provide important insights into normal cellular function and how cells respond to various stresses.