An award is made to the George Washington University to create a novel light microscopy platform to visualize and detect features of cell membranes in three dimensions (3D) at ultra-fine (nanometer-scale) localization accuracy and on living cells. The project also includes the development of a machine-learning algorithm as a low-cost alternative to predict real-time 3D changes from conventional 2D light microscopy data. This innovative research will enable cell biologists and biochemists to gain new training in disciplines including optics, lipid biophysics, and biomechanics. The research program will also educate students ranging from high school to graduate school with diverse backgrounds, including women and underrepresented minorities. Research outcomes will be disseminated via creation of a public database, peer-reviewed publications, and conference presentations. Outreach activities will include hosting high school summer interns and underrepresented minority students through the national SPARC program. Other societal benefits of this project are the potential extension of the use of the proposed instruments to additional biological research areas.
This project will develop new tools to view and assess changes occurring in cell membranes, which may play key roles in important cellular processes. Current light microscopic technology cannot detect changes at a nanometer scale in 3D in living cells. However, the 3D nanometer-scale membrane morphologies and their changes are important features that control cell biology. To resolve these issues, this project will build an innovative light microscopy system that combines two existing technologies to enable ultra-fine, 3D detection of cell membrane morphology on living cells. The platform will be tested and validated on various cell types to ensure reliability and wide applicability. The new instrument will be complemented by a machine-learning based software tool that predicts 3D cellular features based on 2D data obtained by using conventional light microscopes. The software will both allow for broader use in research with conventional light microscopy, making it affordable for many settings, as well as further extend the capabilities of the newly developed hardware. These tools together have broad implications for advancing basic biology research, by facilitating a wide variety of studies addressing the effects of cell surface morphology on cell biological functions.
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.
