This Major Research Instrumentation award supports the acquisition of a light sheet fluorescence microscope workstation system at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. The light sheet fluorescence microscope system will be available as a shared instrument managed by the Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility and its expert, permanent staff. Given that the facility is connected to a shared network, it also will be accessible to many institutions throughout Indiana. Access to the light sheet fluorescence microscope will provide cutting-edge training opportunities for a diverse range of undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral researchers. The faculty and their trainees, supported by the Notre Dame Integrated Imaging Facility staff, will undertake a range of educational and outreach activities using the light sheet fluorescence microscope workstation. The light sheet fluorescence microscope workstation system will expand and amplify the University of Notre Dame's contributions in advancing innovative engineering and science research, education and community outreach.
This microscope enables three-dimensional images to be acquired at unprecedented speeds and improved axial resolution compared to traditional confocal microscopes. In addition to fast speeds and larger samples, three-dimensional stem-cell derived organoids or small model organisms (e.g., zebrafish, fruit flies, or frog embryos) can be imaged without damaging samples with the illumination light. The reduced bleaching and phototoxicity enables long-term imaging over many days. This extended timeframe and additional photomanipulation modalities dramatically expand the range of possible experiments that can be conducted. The multimodal microscope enables unprecedented capabilities for investigating the dynamics of cell behavior in a broad range of three-dimensional samples, including epithelia, brain, eyes, heart, and kidney tissues. The tool will allow new questions to be answered on how normal and genetically modified cells interact at the systems level. The tool also will facilitate new analyses of engineered vascularized tissue models and biorobots by enabling both photomanipulation and fast imaging.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
