A group of thirteen principal investigators associated with the Center for Gene Research and Biotechnology (CGRB) at Oregon State University request funds for a new laser scanning confocal microscope, the Zeiss LSM 510 META. This state-of-the-art confocal system will replace and significantly upgrade the current confocal operated by the CGRB. This group of researchers is funded, primarily by NIH, to investigate a wide range of biomedically-related topics, from carcinogenesis and cellular aging, to viral pathogenesis in animals and plants, to development of the nervous system, to other basic functions in cellular signaling and organization. The CGRB currently provides support and training for a core confocal facility used by this group; however both the outdated capabilities of this seven-year-old system and its reliability are reducing the potential effectiveness of the group's research. Among the new capabilities required by the investigators are live cell imaging using a temperature-control stage, fine control of the laser excitation beam for reducing photobleaching and FRAP experiments, and, most importantly, precise and simultaneous imaging of multiple fluorophores in biological specimens. The Zeiss META system will provide a major advance over the current CGRB confocal for fluorescent imaging, using a combination of spectral profiling technology and software to distinguish accurately between multiple probes, to subtract readily background autofluorescence, and to conduct FRET analyses. In addition, the instrument is run by user-friendly software that will greatly increase its utility within a core facility serving a number of lab groups. The long-term support for the instrument, including both maintenance and microscopy training, will be handled by the CGRB, under a proven policy that has provided equipment stability and care, while educating an expanding number of OSU researchers in confocal techniques. ? ?
