This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) award supports the acquisition by Brandeis University of an integrated live fluorescence imaging system that greatly increases the speed and resolution at which dynamic events can be imaged in cells and in solution. The system will be equipped with both spinning disk confocal and epifluorescence modes, and will be tailored for photoactivation microscopy, an elegant approach to label small populations of fluorescent molecules acutely in space and/or time. The instrument will use a newly developed setup in which the spinning disk confocal modality is equipped with two cameras, enabling maximum speed for simultaneous detection of multiple fluorophores. The epifluorescence modality will push the limits of fast fluorescence imaging by taking advantage of the most recent developments in LED-based illumination and rapid sCMOS camera acquisition. These new technologies will permit the study of extremely rapid biological events (with durations of a few seconds and velocities of micrometers per second) that until now have been extremely difficult to measure directly. Thus, the proposed instrument will allow a new level of spatial (by labeling a set of molecules starting at a particular location) and temporal (by labeling a sparse population of molecules at any given time) investigation into research problems ranging from cytoskeletal dynamics, membrane traffic and signal transduction to sensory processing and synapse formation.
Cellular processes essential for life are driven by complex molecular machines that move through the cell, interact with each other, and execute their functions in seconds. Recent technological breakthroughs in microscopy have greatly improved the speed and resolution at which we can directly see these dynamic molecular events. Researchers at Brandeis across the Biology, Biochemistry, and Physics departments and at the University of Massachusetts, Boston will use the new imaging system to tackle a broad range of scientific problems, ranging from how a neuron forms synapses to how simple biological molecules self-assemble into complex force-generating machines. This instrument will train undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations across science departments at Brandeis and in the Boston science community. As part of this training, we will take advantage of the instrument to establish a new project laboratory in live-cell imaging at Brandeis for our undergraduate and Masters students who may not be members of a research laboratory and therefore would not otherwise have access to an advanced instrument. This instrument will integrate education, training and research to provide new fundamental insights into the dynamics and interactions of molecules in cells and in the test tube.
Complex molecular machines drive a host of cellular processes that are essential for life. These machines move through the cell, interact with each other, and execute their functions in seconds. Recent technological breakthroughs in microscopy have greatly improved the speed and resolution at which we can directly see these dynamic molecular events in living cells and animals. This NSF grant has enabled Brandeis University to acquire a cutting edge microscope that allows us to push the limits of imaging speed and sensitivity to visualize the movements of subcellular structures under a thousandth of a millimeter in size. Researchers are using this microscope to study problems ranging from how a neuron forms synapses to how simple biological molecules self-assemble into complex force-generating machines. This microscope is used by undergraduates, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, fostering interdisciplinary collaborations across science departments at Brandeis and in the Boston science community. As part of this training, we have established a new project laboratory in live-cell imaging at Brandeis for our undergraduate and Masters students who may not be members of a research laboratory and therefore would not otherwise have access to an advanced microscope. This microscope will continue to integrate education, training and research to provide new fundamental insights into the dynamics and interactions of molecules in cells and in the test tube.
