We are requesting an Olympus FV3000 laser-scanning inverted confocal microscope for the Biology and Biochemistry Imaging Core (BBIC) at the University of Houston. Our current FV1000 system is over 15 years old, and should critical parts fail there are no replacements available, as Olympus no longer supports this model. It is functionally obsolete, and cannot be upgraded to meet our researchers' needs. Further, the Olympus FV3000 would offer our research community a more dependable instrument with the latest advances in confocal technology, including live stage imaging, multiple laser lines, spectral detection, and extended depth of focus, which is critical to several NIH funded research projects that utilize the BBIC. This confocal system with proper accessories is a powerful and versatile instrument that can serve a wide range of research needs and produce large amounts of high-quality data. The capacity to produce detailed, high-resolution images in three dimensions, distinguish between multiple fluorescent labels and stitch together multiple fields of view will be an indispensable component for a proposed Pathology Core in the Department of Biomedical Engineering to accurately record the cyto-architecture and gene expression status of healthy and diseased tissue specimens. A high speed resonance scanner combined with a stage top incubation system will allow for kinetic imaging of living cells, tissue explants, and small organisms in a minimally disruptive manner. The Olympus system also offers unique objectives that enable deep penetration into living tissue and minimize distortion along the Z-axis. This will enable more focused studies into the effects of drugs, the interaction of pathogens with host cells, cellular response to injury, and the differences in the retinal development process between wild type and mutant precursor cells. Software functions that allow for marking and tracking of objects, and targeted photobleaching will allow our clients great flexibility in experimental design. The quality of data that can be produced by a confocal microscope is now an expected standard for journal and grant submissions. NIH funded researchers that comprise the major users in this proposal pursue research projects spanning cancer biology, development and regeneration, and physiology and disease states. Thus, the proposed FV3000 system will have a significant impact on a wide range of projects relevant to human health by providing convenient access to enabling technology that is not currently available at the BBIC. Moreover, UH researchers have extensive collaborations with researchers in the Texas Medical Center (TMC). Through these collaborations and the availability of the FV3000 System, we will enhance ongoing partnerships and build new ones as well as provide a critical service to the TMC community. !
An Imaging Core that serves a research community conducting a broad variety of NIH funded experiments needs to provide imaging instruments that are powerful, versatile and flexible. As research demands of the University of Houston faculty exponentially increase in complexity, it is critical to provide the university research community with convenient access to a Core facility with the latest technology, including live cell imaging. We seek to acquire an Olympus FV3000 inverted confocal microscope with a stage top incubation system to enable NIH funded research on disease mechanisms and drug discovery to progress at maximum efficiency. !
