Infrastructure for rapid multiscale imaging of thick biological samples
Name of applicant
Felicity Davis
Institution
Aarhus University
Amount
DKK 5,188,922
Year
2021
Type of grant
Research Infrastructure
What?
Much of what we know about the biology of human and animal cells has arisen from studies that observe these cells as they grow and interact in a plastic dish, or which take a snapshot of their appearance at a single point in time. The ability to visualise the activity of living cells in their native, 3-dimensional environment is shedding important new light on structure-function relationships in tissues, patterns of cellular connectivity and mechanisms of multicellularity. With Research Infrastructure funding from the Carlsberg Foundation, we will acquire two high-end microscopes for rapid multiscale imaging of living systems. This will enable Danish scientists from diverse biological disciplines to observe their biological system in stunning new detail.
Why?
Microscopy is a powerful way to explore biology. The act of seeing, for the first time, individual living cells in the body carrying out their specific function, whilst remaining connected at the population level, can spark immediate excitement in an early career researcher or inspire a senior scientist to change the way they view their biological question. It can be said that "seeing is believing". In this way, microscopy provides a mechanism for scientists to observe, characterise and understand their tissue-of-interest. The visual clarity that an image or a movie can provide also aids scientists in communicating complex concepts with each other and with the broader public.
How?
This Infrastructure Grant enables the acquisition of two microscopes, which will be housed within the Bioimaging Core Facility at Aarhus University. This will allow researchers from any field to access and benefit from this shared resource.