Tuesday, May 13, 2025
5/13/2025
STELLARIS 8 DIVE Multiphoton Microscope - PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT The UC San Diego School of Medicine Microscopy Core is the largest light microscopy core facility on campus and has been serving UCSD researchers since 2003. It is accessible by all UCSD researchers regardless of department affiliation and currently has over 200 registered user labs across the campus. The Core enjoys strong support from the faculty and our institutional leadership. The current array of 12 instruments at the Core includes multiple confocal systems, light sheet, Gatan 3View serial block face scanning EM, slide scanning, lattice structured illumination, among others. However, there is a clear gap for a cutting-edge multiphoton microscope, which is currently lacking as a core resource on campus. Our previous Leica SP5 multiphoton system is no longer operable, and a replacement system is urgently needed to continue with multiphoton research. Here we seek funding to acquire a Leica Stellaris 8 DIVE (Deep In Vivo Explorer) multiphoton as our replacement multiphoton system. The spectrally tunable detection of Stellaris 8 DIVE offers substantial advantages compared with other multiphoton systems. The system is also equipped with integrated FLIM capabilities, which can be readily used to generate channels based on fluorescence lifetime. Our on-site instrument demonstrations validated Stellaris 8 DIVE as a capable and versatile system. The proposed user labs illustrate a critical need among local investigators for the proposed system in advancing their NIH-funded research. They come from all corners of the campus, and their research programs collectively cover a range of biomedical research fields with many disease areas represented. If funded, the Stellaris 8 DIVE system will be extensively utilized by proposed users and additionally will reach a potentially much larger user base as our core has proven capable of disseminating cutting-edge microscopy technologies to the wider local research community. Adequate space and infrastructure, capable staff, robust faculty oversight, and strong institutional commitment along with a track record of program-leading core grant citations will ensure the effective and efficient use of the proposed instrument for years to come. The Leica Stellaris 8 DIVE system will fill a current void in our instrumentation portfolio and generate a sustained, powerful influence on the biomedical research enterprise at UC San Diego.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).