Phase 1 COBRE support resulted in the successful initiation of the Histology and Imaging Core and its development into a critical resource for COBRE investigators and the research community at the University of New England. The Core?s histology instruments include paraffin embedding and section processing equipment, as well as microtomes, vibratomes and cryostats. Imaging equipment includes bright-field, epifluorescent, stereologic and confocal microscopes. Technical services include immunohistochemistry and antibody optimization. In Phase I, the H&I Core provided services to 18 investigators (8 UNE-COBRE, 6 UNE- non-COBRE, 2 external contracts, 2 external COBRE), trained over 60 laboratory personnel, developed 11 new stains and optimized 60 antibodies. In Phase II, the Histology and Imaging Core will maintain existing capabilities and its current outstanding level of performance and expand those capabilities significantly while beginning to prepare for post-award sustainability. Proposed expansion includes the addition of antibody validation services and the acquisition of a two-photon microscope configured for in vivo imaging. The superior abilities of the two-photon system to penetrate tissues and detect faint signals with minimum noise and phototoxicity will enable COBRE investigators to develop innovation in their experimental approaches. These capabilities will have a regional impact, as such an instrument does not currently exist anywhere in southern Maine. Finally, the H&I Core will provide an ambitious program of professional development for Core and COBRE personnel. Critical training opportunities have been identified, including a summer program offered by External Advisory Committee Member Dr. Yves De Koninck?s Neurophotonics Centre at Laval University in nearby Quebec City, Canada. In order for the Core services to be sustained into the future, a fee-for-service plan will be implemented, and an extensive outreach effort will be conducted to broaden the user base. Special care has been taken to ensure that the Core capabilities do not duplicate those offered by other COBRE and INBRE supported research cores. Instead, the Core has strategically specialized in unique services such as a specialty in the processing of non-standard samples in a variety of research models. By these efforts, the UNE H&I Core will provide critical research support to its many users and ensure maximum utility to the broader research community in the State of Maine and neighboring IDeA states.
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