An award is made to the University of Maine to establish the first collaborative imaging facility with a light-sheet microscope in Maine. Analysis of biological processes within intact organs and/or living organisms is fundamental to understanding development and aging. The process of acquiring three-dimensional and/or time-lapse data in vivo has traditionally been hampered by technical difficulties that can be overcome, in large part, by using light-sheet microscopy. This award will facilitate cutting edge research and promote collaboration between researchers at the University of Maine, Maine Medical Research Center Institute, The Jackson Laboratories, and Mount Desert Island Biological Station. In order to increase the impact of this microscope on undergraduate education, a new CURE (course-based undergraduate research experience) entitled: "Discovery in development, disease, and aging using light-sheet microscopy" will be created. This course will allow students to develop their own research projects and will include training in imaging, data analysis, ethics, scientific writing, and public speaking. This award will contribute to education of K-12 students by incorporating data obtained with the light-sheet microscope into middle and high school science classes. These datasets will also be shown at Science Cafes throughout the state and at the Maine State Science Festival.
This award will promote faculty research programs and training of post-doctoral fellows, graduate, and undergraduate students. The research programs impacted pertain to: (1) muscle and neuromuscular development and disease, (2) mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions in vivo, (3) three-dimensional characterization of progenitor cell renewal in the developing kidney, (4) development and implementation of image analysis algorithms, and (5) three-dimensional imaging of neural innervation in whole-adipose depots, among others. A common barrier to the above research projects is the limitation of current resources with regards to time-lapse and/or three-dimensional characterization of cellular processes underlying development and physiology. The increased speed of imaging, tiling function, spectral capabilities, and imaging depth of the light-sheet microscope will revolutionize the type and scale of research questions that can be addressed. The outcome of these research projects will be novel insight into basic biology and disease processes. In addition, new image analysis algorithms will be implemented and adapted to open-source, user-friendly platforms. In summary, a light-sheet microscope will transform Maine research programs and provide a very high scientific return-on-investment in the form of student training and publications. In addition, faculty on this grant will engage multiple demographic sectors in scientific literacy and inquiry. Thus, the Leica TCS SP8 DLS will enhance and expand the University of Maine's mission of education, research, and outreach.
