An award is made to the University of Oregon Eugene to support the purchase of a high-throughput fluorescent slide-scanner imaging system. High throughput analysis of biological specimens is increasingly essential for advancing many fields of the life sciences. A key bottleneck, particularly in the study of histological specimens, is the need for manual steps that limit the speed of data acquisition. The new slide scanning microscope will automate many of the manual steps to remove critical bottlenecks and enable high throughput analysis of biological specimens by researchers at the University of Oregon and beyond. The new instrument will be housed in the University of Oregon shared Histology and Genetic Modification Research Core Facility. As part of a core facility, this instrument will enhance training of undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with cutting edge microscopy approaches, advanced image analysis, “big dataâ€, and other key quantitative skills. The system will further accelerate student research during summer REU programs and will also be used in outreach programs and shared with neighboring institutions.
The new system will be used for a wide range of biological studies, including gene expression, anatomical reconstructions, and tissue analysis, as well as contributing to undergraduate and graduate coursework and training. Two features of this automated instrument will transform the ability of UO researchers to perform these types of studies. First, it automatically images large area specimens, stitching together individual high magnification fields of view into a single high-resolution image. Second, it can automatically process a large number of specimens, with an autoloader capable of processing up to 200 slides in succession. These capabilities will allow researchers to acquire complete datasets that are simply not tractable with manual imaging, thereby opening up new types of biological questions. The instrument has both brightfield and fluorescent capabilities, enabling a wide range of applications including in situ hybridization analysis of gene expression, reconstruction of large-scale neural organization, and quantification of anatomical and cellular structures. Results from these studies will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals, through presentation at scientific meetings, and as part of public outreach efforts.
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.
