Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon/FLIM for the PennVet Imaging Core

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

Project Summary In response to the expanding need for advanced live cell imaging capabilities, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) established an Imaging Core facility in 2008. With the involvement of a handful of pioneer labs, and with nearly $900,000 contributed by the University Provost's office and Departments and Centers in the SVM, we purchased two microscopes including a Leica SP5 multiphoton system and a Leica/Yokagawa spinning disk confocal microscope. In 2011, with S10 support, we acquired a Leica SP5/FLIM system and in 2016. with S10 support, we replaced our original Leica SP5 MP system with an SP8 MP microscope. Over the past 14+ years, our user base has grown to well over 100 individuals. Since its inception, data generated in the PVIC has contributed to over 150 manuscripts and innumerable successful grant applications. Increased utilization of these instruments has been facilitated by the expertise of our core director, Dr. Bruce Freedman and the core manager (since 2012) Dr. Gordon Ruthel. Together with our users, the director and manager have implemented of a range of new applications and capabilities. As a group we have an enormous collective expertise, including multiphoton real-time imaging of pathogen infection and immune responses in the brain, intestine, skin, and secondary lymphoid organs, as well as the behavior of tumors within the tissue matrix, multiphoton imaging of the retina, FRET/FLIM based approaches to track the localization, interactions, and activity of signaling molecules in response to receptor stimulation, photo-activation to generate signaling intermediates instantaneously in situ, and live imaging of calcium and mitochondrial function. A particular specialty of the PVIC is live cell and tissue imaging and FLIM/FRET based applications. Ongoing advances in imaging technology offer the opportunity for our users to obtain a deeper understanding of physiological and pathological mechanisms of cell and tissue function. Thus, this application seeks funds to modernize the capability of the PennVet Imaging Core Our SP5 will no longer be fully supported by Leica beyond 2022. Moreover, improvements in excitation flexibility with the newest pulsed white light laser. We propose to replace our aging SP5/FLIM system, installed in 2011 with a Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon (fast FLIM) microscope. Lifetime imaging capability, enhanced acquisition speed, dynamic improvements in temporal resolution (Lightning), increased spatial coverage, greatly enhanced detection sensitivity of HyD detectors afforded by the Stellaris 8 Falcon will have a transformative impact on NIH funded research of our users.