This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.There has been no change in the support of the key personnel since the last reporting period.There will not be any significant change in the level of effort for key personnel in the next budget period.The estimated unobligated balance will not be greater than 25% of the current year's budget.A.
Specific Aims :
The aims of this project have not changed. We have finished the construction of the first of our 2 photon systems and training of users is underway. B. Progress this year: With the first of our systems completed, the construction of the second system will be finished over the course of the summer. There have been, as to be expected, a number of kinks in the system that have needed to be worked out. We continue to deal with these as they arise. We expect that this year we will finish addressing any issues with the systems and be in full swing by Fall. Training on the system has been intermittent while we have dealt with technical issues. The labs that are currently undergoing training include the Palladini, Wilson, Santa Maria, Jaffe, and Sutter labs. We have complied fully with all safety requirements, including the completion of the UTSA radiation safety course and test. We are in the process of taking the final steps requested by our campus laser safety office in order to be in complete compliance with our campus safety requirements for rooms containing class 4 lasers (as the 2P laser is when uncovered for routine maintenance and alignment). These final steps include the purchase of fire proof curtains for our doors and the installation of 'laser in use' signs to be active during times of laser maintenance. In addition, the imaging facility has undergone our first yearly inspection for lab safety. No additional steps were required on our part from this assessment and we are in full compliance. The BioRad 1024 has continued to be in heavy use this last year. It has provided key data for a number of studies that were presented at a variety of scientific meetings. The primary users of this system have been members of Dr. Brenda Claiborne and Dr.Martha Lundell. We expect that this system will eventually be supplanted by the new Zeiss 510 Meta system that the RCMI imaging core has acquired from the biology department as maintenance for the BioRad will not be available after the year 2008. In addition, the technological advantages of the new Zeiss make this system more desirable from a research standpoint.Since the installation of the new Zeiss 510 Meta confocal, this system has been the workhorse for training in imaging principles and has proven invaluable. Prior to its install few labs on campus had any previous experience with imaging in general, and in particular, had not as yet included confocal microscopy as part of their research tool set. The Zeiss has dramatically changed this on campus. There are now currently over 12 labs which have received complete training, not only on the level of 'pushing buttons' on the Zeiss, but through Dr. Witt have received detailed training in principles of imaging. This level of training has allowed labs to become fully self-sufficient with the instrumentation and the first publications from the use of the Zeiss are now being prepared and submitted. Training on the Zeiss is also serving as an excellent introduction to imaging for the user prior to beginning work on the two photon systems.This year has also seen the submission of the first manuscripts to come from our nascent core. These include Dr. Witt's manuscript to The Journal of Experimental Biology in collaboration with Dr. Kerry Landman of The University of Melbourne and a second manuscript in submission to the Journal of Experimental and Applied Arachnology. This latter is the culmination of a collaboration between Drs Witt and Dr. Andrew Li of the USDA Insect Laboratory of Kerville, Texas.C. Significance: The advent of 2 photon imaging has revolutionized research in the Life Sciences enabling us for the first time to perform experiments in the native tissue and in real time. The significance of this technological achievement cannot be overstated and the move toward 3 and 4 dimensional imaging in situ will only gain momentum as this technology becomes more commonly available. It is more essential than ever that UTSA pursues the development of this technology to its fullest.D. Plans for the Upcoming Year: Our first priorities will be to complete training for our first round of users on the finished 2P system and to complete the construction of our second 2P system. Training will be provided by Dr. Witt and will include safety awareness in addition to the use of the instrument. The completion of the second system will be a joint effort between Drs. Wilson and Witt and the time frame for completion will be the Fall 2008. As mentioned, the final steps for bring our imaging facility into compliance with our campus Laser Safety Office will also be completed this summer. We have already hosted our first guest speaker, Dr. Tomasz Zal, of MD Anderson. His talk not only drew a full capacity audience, but he spent the afternoon with us in the imaging center and provided some excellent tips and expertise. We plan to host additional guest speakers, such as Dr. Zal, who will speak on the topic of 2 photon imaging in key interest areas of research. We will host one workshop on imaging that will be opened first to UTSA community and then outside attendees if space permits. This year will also see a strengthened alliance with our sister core The Biocomputational Initiative as we will also host our second workshop on quantitative imaging analysis in conjunction with Bitplane Inc, developers of the leading 3D/4D imaging analysis software, Imaris. Dr. Witt is also coordinating a formal collaboration between the RCMI Imaging core, Dr. James Bower of the Biocomputational Initiative, and Bitplane, Inc to partner Imaris analysis software with Genesis neuronal modeling software.
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