Intelligent Microtome Instrumentation

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Locating fluorescently-tagged cells in whole organisms is important to the development of gene therapy, stem cell therapy delivery methods, and for drug research. This project will develop an intelligent microtome to identify fluorescently labeled cells in whole mice and to collect those cells in thin sections. During Phase I, a small-mammal cryomicrotome with LED-based tissue illumination for fluorescence imaging will be constructed. Several CCD cameras will be evaluated to establish the spatial resolution and gray-scale resolution needed to provide necessary fluorescence-imaging capabilities for the instrument. The instrument will be tested on isolated muscle, tissue homogenates containing green fluorescent protein (GFP) labeled cells, and on whole mice. The cells expressing GFP in these samples will provide data for the development of next-generation instrumentation during Phase II. Phase II will add capabilities to use the fluorescence image data to intelligently acquire thin sections only when fluorescent cells are detected. Fluorescence images acquired during sectioning will provide morphological guides to identify and isolate the same cells in mounted sections by laser-capture microdissection. Automated thin-tissue acquisition will be an added capability and will be integrated with intelligent fluorescence analysis to produce a completely automated instrument. The instrument will allow processing of whole animals to obtain thin sections for laser dissection and for biochemical and/or PCR post processing of select tissue regions.