Abstract

ThisproposalseeksfundingtopurchasetheZeissconfocalLSM880microscopewithAiryscanfor theNeuralCellEngineeringandImagingCore(NCEI)oftheRoseFKennedyCenterforIntellectual andDevelopmentalDisabilitiesResearch(IDDR)attheAlbertEinsteinCollegeofMedicine(Einstein). ThisCorehasexistedatEinsteinforover30yearsasasharedresource,andhasreceivedstrong financialsupportoverthistimefromtheKennedyIDDRCenter,fundedbyNIH/NICHDCentergrants, andfromtheDepartmentofNeuroscience.WhiletheNCEICoreisopentoallEinsteinInvestigators, theCore?sconfocalfacilityhasservedasaprimaryandkeyresourceforNeurosciencefacultyand IDDRCenterinvestigators,atightly-knithighly-interactivegroup.TheAiryscantechnologywhich providessuper-resolutioncapabilityhasseveraladvantagesoverothersuper-resolutionapproaches thatmakeitparticularlyidealforthediversityofspecimensandapplicationsofourmulti-usergroup. Someoftheseadvantagesincludenolimitationsposedbyspecialrequirementsforspecimen preparation,fluorophoreselection,mountingmediaorbuffers,andtheabilitytoperformwellwith thickaswellasthinspecimens.Furthermore,thetechnologyfundamentallyutilizesalaserpoint- scanningconfocalapproachbutisabletoflexiblyimproveonsensitivity,speedofacquisitionand/or resolutionwithsignificantlyheightenedsignal-to-noiseratio.Thegroupofinvestigatorsidentified herewilltakeadvantageoftheAiryscancharacteristicsandcapabilities,manyofwhichdealwith thickerspecimensandneedsuperiorresolutioninlookingat,forexample,vesicularorganellesand co-localization,dendriticspines,pre-andpost-synapticsitesandtheirmolecularcomponents,and otherfinestructures.Theseinvestigatorsareinvolvedinbothbasicstudiesofbraindevelopmentand function,andinresearchdirectlytargetedathumanhealthincludingAlzheimerdisease,Huntington disease,schizophrenia,FragileXSyndromeandotherAutismSpectrumdisorders,brainischemia, andlysosomalstoragediseases.Theproposedmicroscopewillprovideauniquenewtechnologyfor Einstein,andserveasavitalassetforEinstein?sbiomedicalresearchcommunityatlargetohelpstay competitiveinthiseraofpowerfulnewopticalimagingapproaches.

Public Health Relevance

Iffunded,theZeissconfocallaserscanningmicroscope(LSM)880withAiryscanwillserveasashared resourceattheAlbertEinsteinCollegeofMedicine.Thiswillprovidestate-of-the-artfluorescenceimaging includingsuper-resolutiontoahostofinvestigatorsengagedinbiomedicalresearch.Itwillenhancetheir researchprogramsandcanbeexpectedtohelpbringnewinsightsintoareasthatincludebraindevelopment, synapticfunctionandplasticity,glialfunctionandhumanpathologiessuchasHuntingtondisease, schizophrenia,FragileXSyndromeandotherAutismSpectrumDisorders,brainischemia,neurodegenerative lysosomalstoragediseases,anxietyandotherpsychiatricdisorders.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Office of The Director, National Institutes of Health (OD)
Type
Biomedical Research Support Shared Instrumentation Grants (S10)
Project #
6S10OD025295-02
Application #
10016753
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1)
Program Officer
Horska, Alena
Project Start
2019-09-01
Project End
2020-08-31
Budget Start
2019-09-02
Budget End
2020-08-31
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2019
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Department
Type
DUNS #
081266487
City
Bronx
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10461