primary_duns:
614209054
cite this facility
Christopher O'Connell
The Advanced Light Microscopy Facility provides training and access to state-of-the-art light microscopy systems at an hourly rate. In addition, we are available to consult with and support users at every stage of a project including experimental design, sample preparation, image acquisition, analysis, and data preparation.
is_active:
Nobudget_end:
09/13/2019date_added:
09/15/2018agency_code:
NIHfiscal_year:
2018project_num:
1S10OD023618-01A1award_amount:
$999,637.00budget_start:
09/14/2018org_name:
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRSorg_state:
CTorg_country:
UNITED STATESorg_zipcode:
062691133primary_duns:
614209054abstract_text:
Funds are requested for the purchase of an Abberior Instruments easy3D STED super resolution microscope to be housed within the University of Connecticut’s Advanced Light Microscopy Facility. The Facility is a shared resource promoting research innovation through access to cutting edge light microscopy equipment and expertise. It serves the main Storrs campus as well as the UConn Health Center and has a rapidly expanding user base currently consisting of over 50 laboratories. Usage of the Facility is up by 90% in the last three years due to greater reliance on light microscopy for advancement of biomedical research at UConn. The requested STED super resolution microscope has significantly higher resolving capabilities for multi-dimensional and multi-channel imaging compared to any light microscope currently at the university. The system provides x, y, and z axis resolution improvement for 3D super resolution imaging as well as the unique Rescue STED modality to reduce bleaching and toxicity, formerly a major limitation of this light intensive technique. Two depletion beams and four pulsed excitation lasers obtain data with down to 30 nm resolution in four channels. There are 11 NIH funded users with projects in the areas of cell biology and neuroscience that require super resolution to make further progress characterizing the molecular underpinnings of processes relevant to human health and disease. These laboratories are currently limited by the capabilities of the university’s light microscopes. Our careful evaluation of the available technologies and preliminary data demonstrate that the Abberior STED system provides a substantial resolution improvement compared to conventional fluorescence microscopy. This benefit was observed over a wide range of major users’ specimens, which will maximize impact of the instrument on research. Structured Illumination or localization super resolution methods lack the resolving power and/or depth capability required. The Advanced Light Microscopy Facility has become a major cornerstone of instrumentation support for NIH funded research at the University of Connecticut. There is a pressing need to add a STED super resolution system to upgrade the Facility’s imaging capability and support continued growth of this shared resource.project_title:
STED Super Resolution Microscope for a Core Facilitycontact_pi_name:
O'CONNELL, CHRISTOPHER Btotal_cost:
$999,637.00is_active:
Nobudget_end:
04/30/2015date_added:
05/03/2014agency_code:
NIHfiscal_year:
2014project_num:
1S10OD016435-01A1award_amount:
$456,323.00budget_start:
05/01/2014org_name:
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRSorg_state:
CTorg_country:
UNITED STATESorg_zipcode:
062691133primary_duns:
614209054abstract_text:
DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Funds are requested for the purchase of a Leica TCS SP8 AOBS 405 UV Spectral Confocal Microscope to be used in the PNB Confocal Facility in the Department of Physiology and Neurobiology at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. The Department currently has a Leica TCS SP2 Spectral Confocal Microscope, which was purchased in 2001 with funds from NIH (1S10RR015684-01). The instrument is maintained as a departmental facility that is open to the entire Storrs campus community. During the past eleven years, it has been heavily used, averaging 7 hours a day, resulting in 73 peer-reviewed publications by four to eight NIH-funded major users. In 2006 Leica stopped manufacturing this model, and some parts are no longer available. There is not enough capacity on the existing confocal microscopes on the Storrs campus to accommodate the needs of the current users of the SP2 system in the event that a critical part cannot be replaced. Even if the existing instrument were to remain functional, many of the users critically need a 405 nm laser line to image the nuclear dye DAPI, along with the other fluorophores, but a 405 nm laser cannot be added to our existing SP2 unit. The other existing microscope on this campus with this capability is housed in a separate building and is too heavily used to accommodate our users' needs. The user group has grown from four NIH-funded investigators at the time of the original application in 2000 to eight major users and two minor users, and we have two new faculty members who will join our department this fall, whose research heavily depends on confocal microscopy. Confocal microscopy has now become an indispensable tool for the research program of the users in our department and a standard tool in cellular, molecular, and developmental neuroscience. Thus, there is a pressing need to acquire a new confocal system to ensure that the current users of the existing SP2 system have uninterrupted access to a functional confocal microscope and avoid delays in data collection and publication. The new confocal microscope will be housed in the center of the first floor of the Pharmacy Biology Building where the department is housed. It will be maintained by user fees and additional support from the Department, the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the Office of Vice President for Research.project_title:
Leica TCS SP8 FSU AOBS 405 UV Spectral Confocal Microscopecontact_pi_name:
NISHIYAMA, AKIKOtotal_cost:
$456,323.00Services are offerred outside of
Consulting is offerred outside of University of Connecticut
Last Updated: 05/19/2025
