The creation of a powerful new non-linear laser microscopy for biomedical research and pathology investigations is the objective of this research. New and convenient instrumentation for imaging the dynamic microchemistry of individual living cells and tissues is to be developed from the recent invention: """"""""Two Photon Excitation Laser Scanning Fluorescence Microscopy"""""""" (Denk, Strickler and Webb, Science 248:73-76,1990). Specific projects include measurement of two photon excitation spectra of fluorophores, engineering design for the non-linear optical system including adaptation of economical solid state femtosecond lasers and integration of powerful analytic control computers, development of new methods of measurement of three-dimensional molecular diffusion (as in the cellular cytoplasm) enabled by the inherent three-dimensional resolution of two-photon excitation and photolysis, measure molecular mechanisms of photolysis, photobleaching and cellular photodamage with the help of high intensity laser pulses, and develop imaging of fluorescence decay time data for cellular microenvironmental analysis. Introduction of non-linear physical optics into optical microscopy offers an opportunity for major advance in analytical capability for quantitative biophysical instrumentation that this research aims to realize.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Center for Research Resources (NCRR)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01RR007719-03
Application #
2283571
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (SSS (03))
Project Start
1992-06-05
Project End
1997-05-31
Budget Start
1994-06-01
Budget End
1995-05-31
Support Year
3
Fiscal Year
1994
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Cornell University
Department
Engineering (All Types)
Type
Schools of Engineering
DUNS #
City
Ithaca
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
14850
Brown, E B; Shear, J B; Adams, S R et al. (1999) Photolysis of caged calcium in femtoliter volumes using two-photon excitation. Biophys J 76:489-99
Brown, E B; Webb, W W (1998) Two-photon activation of caged calcium with submicron, submillisecond resolution. Methods Enzymol 291:356-80
Maiti, S; Haupts, U; Webb, W W (1997) Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy: diagnostics for sparse molecules. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 94:11753-7
Xu, C; Shear, J B; Webb, W W (1997) Hyper-Rayleigh and hyper-Raman scattering background of liquid water in two-photon excited fluorescence detection. Anal Chem 69:1285-7
Maiti, S; Shear, J B; Williams, R M et al. (1997) Measuring serotonin distribution in live cells with three-photon excitation. Science 275:530-2
Xu, C; Zipfel, W; Shear, J B et al. (1996) Multiphoton fluorescence excitation: new spectral windows for biological nonlinear microscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 93:10763-8