Light Sheet Microscope

This proposal requests funding for the purchase of a Zeiss Lightsheet Z.1 Microscope at the University of Kentucky, which will be housed in an Imaging Center operated by the College of Arts and Sciences Biology Department. This instrument would be the first of its kind in the state of Kentucky. The light sheet microscope incorporates state-of-the-art technology that will allow users to conduct long-term time-lapse imaging of live specimens, as well as to image whole fixed, cleared tissues at subcellular resolution. Light sheet microscopy has several advantages over conventional fluorescence microscopy techniques, including greater sample penetration depth, faster image acquisition times, superior signal-to-noise ratio, and significantly reduced exposure, which minimizes photobleacing and toxicity. This equipment will serve a growing group of NIH-funded investigators in the Biology department studying developmental and regenerative processes in a variety of model organisms (mouse, zebrafish, salamander, lamprey, and insects) whose research will be greatly enhanced by the ability to conduct live cell and tissue imaging. It will also serve scientists located in the neighboring Colleges of Medicine, Agriculture, and Pharmacy. Research areas that will be enhanced through the acquisition of this light sheet microscope include studies of germ cell and organ system development, tissue regeneration, circadian rhythms, the effects of stress and aging in the brain, and the regulation of signaling pathways during development.