ABSTRACT
The Albany Medical College (AMC) Imaging Core Facility, representing the imaging needs from
multiple NIH-funded investigators, proposes to acquire an Olympus FVMPE-RS multiphoton
microscope suited for intravital microscopy. This instrument will bridge a key gap in our current
offerings and will allow for AMC and other Capital District researchers to perform detailed
mechanistic studies in mouse models of disease, on topics as varied as systemic inflammation
and resolution (Adam, Fredman, MacNamara), lung disease (Tang, Mishra), development
(Larsen), cancer (Barroso, Intes, Lamar, Logue), vascular disease (Pumiglia, Singer), and
neuropathology (Zuloaga, Temple). All users listed in this application study highly dynamic
mechanisms of disease and have well-established animal and in vitro models for their studies.
However, their research is currently being limited by the lack of a microscope that allows for high
depth and cellular/subcellular resolution imaging to complement the imaging already performed
at high resolution in ex vivo tissue samples and in vitro 3D models and non-invasively with low
resolution and penetrance. This microscope with the proposed configuration will allow for real-
time two-color deep imaging using an Insight X3 Dual laser (680-1300/1045nm tunable/fixed), two
GaAsP detectors and a fast hybrid scanner. Two-color imaging is needed for the study of complex
biological processes such as vascular/immune cell interactions, drug delivery and cancer cell
migration and perfusion of the neurovascular unit. This configuration is designed to cover the
main requirements of all major and minor users, while allowing for future upgrades and additions
through institutional or individual investments. Through the acquisition of the Olympus FVMPE-
RS multiphoton microscope, we will leverage the state-of-the-art animal facility at AMC to provide
the needed access to multiphoton microscopy to NIH-supported investigators within AMC and at
other research institutions in the Albany Capital District, fostering cross-institutional collaborations
among NIH-supported investigators at these institutions.