MRI: Acquisition of a 200 kV Electron Tomography Microscope for Quantitative High Resolution Imaging of Cells in 3 Dimensions

Yale University, New Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

A grant has been awarded to Yale University School of Medicine to acquire an electron tomography microscope for quantitative high-resolution imaging of cells and nanomaterials in three dimensions (3D). With its impressive high resolution (~5 nanometers) the new microscope will make it possible to visualize thick biological sections and other objects volumetrically, and will be used by more than 17 laboratories from 11 Yale departments. Specific focus areas will include high-resolution imaging of neurons and synapses, vesicular traffic, cytoskeleton, and nanomaterials, as well as the development of new methods of image analysis. The grant will have a broad impact in the Yale scientific community and beyond. It will help train students and postdoctoral fellows in powerful new imaging techniques, forge new collaborations across discipline boundaries, bring scientists from diverse backgrounds together, create new partnerships with the private sector, develop methodology to analyze and mine tomography datasets, and provide a strong program for education and outreach to the local community (via links to local high schools and Yale ?STARS?, SURF, Biostep programs). In all of these ways, the award will support the scientific, educational, and diversity aims of Yale University and the National Science Foundation.