A group of investigators working on biological structures seeks support to purchase an electron microscope for a University multiuser facility. The electron microscope will be used for studies of the structures of sickle hemoglobin polymers, the acetycholine receptor, the red blood cell cytoskeleton, the eryth- ropoietin receptor, cardiac gap junctions, and nucleoprotein complexes. These studies require a very high resolution microscope equipped with a goniometer stage and capable of cryo and low dose microscopy. The applicant group of investigators are now entirely dependent upon a single twenty-one year old Philips EM 300 for high resolution work. Even though this microscope is well maintained, age-related problems are resulting in ever increasing difficulties. The proposed new microscope would be installed in an existing EM lab which contains all the supporting equipment normally found in electron microscope laboratories. This lab is staffed by a very competent electron microscope technician. The laboratory has very extensive computer facilities for digital image processing which complement the EM hardware. All of this existing infrastructure and equipment would be available to the user group. The lab has maintained (and will continue to maintain) a policy of providing access to the EM facility for research and training for all who wish to use it.
