Request for a Nikon AXR Confocal Microscope

About This Grant

We are requesting funds to purchase a single integrated system. A 4 color confocal microscope with resonant scanning capabilities on a motorized inverted stand with four GaSP detectors, two with customizable spectral tuning. This instrument will be housed within the Center for Biologic Imaging (CBI) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The mandate of this core facility is to provide access to a full range of light and electron optical, image analysis, and morphometric methods to all research groups within the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Point scanning confocal microscopy is an essential service provided by the center, and until last fall the core provided access to 6 different systems to our user base (>300 research teams and @1000 individual users). The average usage time for each of these systems is between 2,500 and 3000 hours a year and almost all the use is by groups supported by NIH grants. In September of last year the oldest of these systems, a 19 year old FV1000 (1S10RR022637-01) had multiple failures in the laser combiner which could not be repaired due to a lack of parts (see letter) and the microscope was retired. This January we were told that the oldest of our Nikon A1 confocals (16 years old) had multiple components which would no longer be covered by Nikon service due to a lack of parts (gas lasers and tubes and other hardware) (see letter) which means that future failure may make the system non-repairable and it should be replaced. The NIH funded research base in our institution continues to grow, and given the current use levels we feel our confocal capabilities are at saturation in fact the lack of available instrument time has become a major factor limiting the utility of the center, which in turn which has lead to considerable frustration amongst users. As pointed out by major users the requested instrument offers multiple technical advances over our current systems which motivate the specific instrument choice. However, beyond improved technology the absolute primary reason for submitting this application is to provide critically needed contemporary instrument time to a growing body of NIH supported users of the imaging core here at the University of Pittsburgh.