Spectral Confocal Imaging Instrumentation for Forsyth Advanced Microscopy CoreÂ

Ada Forsyth Institute, Inc., Cambridge MA

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Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract This is a proposal for the purchase of a laser scanning confocal microscope with fluorescence spectral imaging, near-infrared imaging, and correlative microscopy capabilities. The instrument requested is the Zeiss LSM 980 equipped with a 34-channel spectral detector, excitation diode lasers and beam splitters, near infrared (NIR) laser and detectors, and a ZEN Connect software module to enable correlative microscopy workflows. The instrument is critical to the research programs of the users and will replace a decade-old instrument that no longer is guaranteed support by the manufacturer. It will be placed in the Advanced Microscopy Core facility of the Forsyth Institute, an independent research institute in Cambridge, MA, and will support the fundamental and applied research of 12 investigators— including 5 Major Users and 7 Other Users studying the human oral microbiome, microbe-host interaction, craniofacial bone structure, tooth enamel and salivary gland function. Specific projects for which the instrument is needed by its Major Users include (1) mechanisms underlying spatial interactions in the oral microbiota; (2) imaging studies of the structure and organization of oral bacterial biofilms at micrometer and sub-micrometer scales; (3) immuno-fluorescence analysis of gene expression and protein localization to understand the mechanisms of bone development, repair, and regeneration; (4) the interaction of ultrasmall bacteria and their hosts on periodontitis and inflammatory disease; and (5) characterization of the episymbiont TM7 with its host bacterial cell. In addition to the enumerated projects, the purchase of this instrument will enable as-yet unfunded pilot projects to explore promising research avenues for oral health and disease. Collectively, these research projects support the overall mission of the Forsyth Institute to improve both oral and overall health through targeted basic research as well as clinical service and outreach. Access to this instrument will enhance the goals of these research projects by providing an accessible, reliable, and state-of-the-art instrument to enable users to acquire images of the highest quality and biomedical impact using efficient workflows. The technical expertise of the Core staff and a carefully constructed management plan will permit maximal use of accessible user time on the instrument at the highest performance level. Strong institutional support from the Forsyth Institute will guarantee operating support for the instrument and will enable the purchase of an offline processing workstation for efficient high-throughput analysis of the large imaging datasets that these projects will generate. In sum, the cutting-edge imaging instrumentation requested in this application will advance the Institute’s research programs and NIH- funded biomedical research.