A major cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States and throughout the world is infectious diseases. A major goal of the NIH is to """"""""conduct and support basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious diseases"""""""". A key advance in the investigation of host-pathogen interactions has been the development of confocal laser microscopy, allowing the simultaneous visualization of different molecules both in real-time in living cells and in disease specimens. An obstacle to researchers studying infectious diseases is the ability to use confocal laser microscopy in facilities that allow the investigation of pathogens that cause """"""""serious or potentially lethal disease through inhalation route exposure"""""""" and require Biosafety Level 3 (BSL3) containment (Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health, Fifth Edition, 2007.), or pathogens which have been declared by the Dept. of HHS and/or the USDA to have the """"""""potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety"""""""" and require Select Agent BSL3 facilities (Department of Health and Human Services, 42 CFR Parts 72 and 73, Office of Inspector General, 42 CFR 1003 Possession, Use and Transfer of Select Agents and Toxins;Final Rule, March 18, 2005). Here we propose the purchase of a Danaher (Leica) TCS SP5 Confocal System to be housed in a Select Agent BSL3 facility. Leica Microsystems is owned by the US company- Danaher Corporation. This confocal microscope will allow investigators studying host-microbe interactions to obtain multicolor imaging of live cells. In particular, UCLA has set aside space to house the Danaher (Leica) TCS SP5 Confocal System in a Select Agent BSL3 environment. This equipment grant will be the catalyst for researchers studying microbial pathogenesis to obtain new information, not presently obtainable at any facility at UCLA. A major benefit to our NIH funded research projects will be the ability to colocalize with high resolution specific host and pathogen molecules in real time, research that is presently not feasible. The facility will not only serve the eight major users on this grant, but will be open to anyone on the UCLA campus who requires the use of a confocal laser microscope in a BSL2 or 3 environment. The purchase of the Danaher (Leica) TCS SP5 Confocal System will allow UCLA researchers to make new advances which will help us understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious diseases. Leica is a subsidiary of Danaher, a US Company (NYSE: DHR). Danaher's headquarters are located on Pennsylvania Ave in Washington D.C. As of December 31, 2008, annual revenues were reported to be $12.7 billion. The company employs 50,300 people. The purchase of this microscope involves the employment of many in the US.
