PROJECT SUMMARY
This Leica Stellaris 8 DIVE system is a multiphoton microscope for intravital imaging with video rate data
acquisition, deep tissue penetration, high sensitivity, and uses cutting edge spectral detection technology. This
system will replace a 12-year-old multiphoton microscope system that is no longer supported by the vendor
and currently off-line. More than 20 research faculty in the Center for Immunology at the University of
Minnesota depend on this instrument, and their research has been put on hold until the instrument can be
repaired (which seem increasingly less likely) or replaced. Among those faculty are the 6 NIH funded
investigators that constitute the major and minor users of this proposal. Multiphoton microscopy is used to
collect optical data to determine cellular movement and cellular interactions using fluorescent vital dyes and
genetically encoded fluorescent proteins. Using this technology, immunologists are investigating the cellular
and molecular mechanisms controlling cell motility, cellular interactions, and signals within intact tissues of
living animals. The Leica Stellaris 8 DIVE system will allow researchers to perform intravital multiphoton
imaging deep in tissue specimens to examine 4 different fluorescent signals or cell types simultaneously.
Research conducted by the investigators involved in this grant span multiple disciplines relating to public health
including autoimmunity, transplantation, cancer, immune activation, host/pathogen responses, vaccine design
and infectious diseases. The equipment obtained using these funds will allow our group to continue to perform
novel and cutting-edge biological imaging using multiphoton microscopy to pursue fundamental knowledge
regarding human health in these research areas. This technology will significantly enhance our ability to
achieve research aims to diagnose, treat, and protect individuals afflicted with a wide variety of conditions, and
will greatly aid in preventing and curing human diseases. Therefore, purchase of a new turn-key commercial
instrument will ensure our sustainability and access to this critical technology to achieve the aims of the NIH
funded investigators described in this proposal and provide cutting-edge technology for immunology
researchers at the University of Minnesota in the Center for Immunology.