This Biological Facilities Center proposal requests funds to establish a fluorescence imaging facilities center. The fluorescence imaging center will draw on the strengths of the Center for Fluorescence Research in Biomedical Sciences, the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center, the Center for Art and Technology, and several companies. This facilities center will integrate the technologies of quantitative fluorescence microscopy, imaging technology, computational science, graphics display computer science, and advanced instrumentation developments to construct the next generation quantitative fluorescence microcope/imaging system for the biomedical sciences. One system will be assembled for fluorescence spectroscopy on living cells and tissues and another for immunofluorescence and fluorescence-based in situ hybridization of nucleic acid probes. These systems will have an immediate impact on research in cellular, developmental, and molecular biology. The instrumentation and methodology developed will directly benefit 30 researchers in the Fluorescence Center when fully operational. Researchers outside of the Center will benefit from the development of new sophisticated equipment as it becomes accessible to all biomedical researchers within the next few years.
