Zeiss LSM 900 with Airyscan 2

PROJECT SUMMARY Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) has been a leading center for the study of diabetes, obesity, atherosclerosis, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and associated disorders for more than two decades. The success of the research efforts by Columbia faculty has been anchored by the building and maintenance of a scientific infrastructure that permits state-of-the art analyses by scientists with widely varying areas of focus. The Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center has been central in building this infrastructure, and the NIH-funded Diabetes Research Center (DRC) has helped staff and maintain the varied facilities. Visualizing and quantifying tissue and cellular pathologies are central to understanding the pathogenesis, progression and complications of metabolic disease and related disorders, and to monitor the effectiveness of treatment. Performing these studies in an efficient, cost-effective and timely fashion is critical for the productive study of metabolic disease and related disorders at Columbia. The Advanced Tissue Pathology and Imaging (ATPI) Core of the Columbia DRC provides investigators with access to confocal microscopy needed to image wide range of cells and tissues that regulate glucose homeostasis and energy balance. This application proposes to maintain that infrastructure and to grow its capabilities with the purchase of a Zeiss LSM 900 with Airyscan 2. The system will be overseen by Dr. Lori Zeltser and will be incorporated into the existing ATPI facilities and management system supported by the Naomi Berrie Foundation and the Columbia DRC. The needs for ATPI Core microscopy have evolved substantially in the past 5 years, which reflect major advances in techniques to visualize RNA/protein expression in subcellular structures and in thick sample preparations. The total amount of confocal imaging by DRC Users increased from ~2,400hr to ~3,500hr per year, which vastly exceeds the ~1,900hr available for use during regular working hours. The proposed equipment will replace a slower Zeiss LSM 710 system, for which parts are no longer guaranteed. In consultation with the Steering Committee of the ATPI, the Zeiss LSM 900 with Airyscan 2 was selected because of the following features: 1) it is very versatile and can accommodate a wide range of sample formats and approaches to visualize structures at the subcellular, cellular and whole-tissue levels; 2) its detectors provide enhanced sensitivity and super-resolution imaging that is critical for the research of several Users; and 3) the combination of high sensitivity and accessories that streamline processes to set up and acquire images will cut the length of microscopy sessions times in half. Thus, the proposed equipment will not only replace an aging system that is heavily used, but it will enhance the capabilities of the ATPI to meet new and growing demands for microscopy.