Zeiss LSM 980 Airyscan 2 laser scanning confocal microscope

PROJECT SUMMARY We are requesting funds to purchase a Zeiss LSM 980 Airyscan 2 confocal microscope for the Microbiology Live Cell Imaging Facility at UTSW Medical Center in Dallas, TX. The system will be dedicated to live cell imaging of Biosafety Level 2 (BSL2) pathogens, experiments that cannot be done on other shared university microscopes due to institutional biosafety regulations. Currently, the only microscope available for live imaging of BSL2 pathogens is over 14 years old and has no capability for super-resolution imaging, an advance in imaging technology with substantial benefits for visualizing tiny microorganisms. The Zeiss LSM 980 instrument will represent a significant addition to the research infrastructure of the university by providing up-to-date imaging technology for a sizable group of investigators in multiple campus departments who are working to understand human infectious diseases and the immune response. To date, the lack of state-of-the-art imaging technology for BSL2 research at UTSW has discouraged researchers from venturing into lines of investigation that involve visualizing living pathogenic microorganisms and how they function in infected cells. The long-term objective of this application is to provide a central, managed, safe imaging facility with modern equipment to support these important research directions. To meet this objective, we have already implemented a fully compliant BSL2 live imaging facility managed by the Microbiology department. The requested instrument will meet our need for a modern live cell imaging system that is suitable for a wide range of applications. The system includes 4 laser lines, Airyscan 2 to enable super- and confocal-resolution imaging with high sensitivity and minimal phototoxicity, and Multiplex plus 8x parallelization for high temporal resolution, a full incubation enclosure for maintaining cells under optimum culture conditions, a motorized scanning stage for multi-position acquisition, definite focus and a piezo z-stage for fast acquisition of z-stacks. Access to a BSL2-specific live cell imaging instrument will allow microbiology, infectious disease and immunology investigators at UTSW to take advantage of live imaging technology to better understand pathogens that impact human health worldwide (e.g. models of Mycoplasma tuberculosis, attenuated HIV, models of SARS-Cov2, herpesviruses, poxviruses, EHEC, Salmonella, Shigella, Listeria, Campylobacter, Leishmania, Trypanosoma). The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has clearly demonstrated the importance of understanding how these and other microbial agents evolve, survive, spread and bypass the human immune system.