This award supports the acquisition of a confocal microscopy system to be jointly used by the Biology Department and the New Jersey Neuroscience Institute (NJNI) at Seton Hall University. The purchase of this instrumentation will enhance research at the molecular, cellular and organism levels. Research projects that will utilize the confocal microscope include: (1) in vivo and in vitro localization of receptors on neuronal and vascular cells as it relates to homeostasis and cellular desensitization, (2) the consequence of neuronal dysfunction on cell proliferation during embryogenesis, (3) the anatomical relationship of autonomic innervation in lymphoid tissue, and (4) 3D imaging of neuronal or heart tissues. Additionally, the confocal microscope will be an important addition to the growing biotechnology resource in the Biology Department. The microscope will also be widely used in the classroom/laboratory settings to train undergraduate and graduate students. Participating faculty will incorporate the application of confocal microscopy in courses including Cell Biology, Developmental Biology, Molecular Biology, Histology, Cell Culture Techniques and Methods in Neuroscience. The addition of the confocal microscopy system to our growing biotechnology inventory will enable future workshops featuring such sophisticated instrumentation to local Secondary Education teachers to retool them in modern biology principles and techniques.
