High-content screening employs an imaging-based platform, which combines the efficacy and speed of high-throughput automation and the power of light microscopy, especially fluorescence microscopy, to simultaneously capture both functional and morphometric information from a large number of samples of cells or organisms following perturbation, such as drug treatment or genetic alteration. High content analysis permits a much more comprehensive quantitative assessment of drug and gene effects than population-based methods, because multiple kinetic and spatial readouts can be simultaneously interrogated in individual cells. This application seeks to fill the gap between a strong demand for high-content screening and the limited capability the University of Virginia can currently offer. The proposed instrument is a PerkinElmer Operetta CLS, a high-content imaging system capable of bright-field, phase-contrast, and wide-field and spinning-disc confocal fluorescence imaging. The acquisition will immediately benefit a wide range of biomedical research projects covering infectious diseases such as influenza, Ebola, cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, peripheral and central neurodegeneration. With the Operetta CLS, multiple parameters can be captured simultaneously for evaluation of tool or drug candidates against known targets as well as for uncovering unknown new targets in the exploration of a biological problem. Added benefit is unbiased image acquisition and powerful data analysis. The Operetta CLS is positioned to critical new research tool to facilitate our extensive basic or clinical research programs, which are attempting to understand and find treatments for human diseases.

Public Health Relevance

The Operetta CLS High Content Screening System provides a sophisticated imaging platform for high throughput screening based on quantitative analysis of morphological features or molecular events in large numbers of individual cells revealed by staining and fluorescent probes. Acquisition of this instrument will enable the University of Virginia researchers and other scientists to understand the pathogenesis of and to design treatments for a wide array of diseases including infectious diseases, such as influenza and Ebola, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, cancer, Alzheimer?s disease, and periphery nerve damage.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)
Type
Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grants (S10)
Project #
1S10OD021723-01A1
Application #
9274679
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-CB-T (30)I)
Program Officer
Horska, Alena
Project Start
2017-03-02
Project End
2018-02-28
Budget Start
2017-03-02
Budget End
2018-02-28
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
$516,040
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Virginia
Department
Pharmacology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
065391526
City
Charlottesville
State
VA
Country
United States
Zip Code
22904