ACQUISITION OF A HYPERSPECTRAL CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE SYSTEM FOR AN INSTITUTIONAL CORE FACILITY

University Of Maryland At Baltimore, Baltimore

Investigators

Abstract

This award partially supports the acquisition of a confocal laser scanning microscope with spectral imaging capabilities. This instrument is capable of simultaneously sensing spectral signatures from multiple fluorophores that have overlapping emission spectra, and separating these signals using linear unmixing computational algorithms to produce a set of images, each providing the signal from the individual fluorophores. This instrument will enable several experimental approaches not currently possible using existing campus core facilities: a) simultaneous examination of several expressed fluorescent protein chimeras; b) precise co-localization of diffraction-limited structures occurring at high density; c) fluorescent resonance energy transfer studies of protein-protein interactions; d) measurements of calcium signals in cells expressing fluorescent excitation-contraction coupling proteins; and e) analysis of macromolecule distributions in samples labeled with many fluorescent probes.