Fluorecent microscope with real time flow cytometry

• Subject Area: Basic Research in Biology and Medicine
• Term: Funded in 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 497696919

The focus on biophysics has been greatly expanded in the field of physics at the UdS in recent years and can now boast considerable successes, e.g. the SFB 1027 (Physical modelling of non-equilibrium processes in biological systems), the newly established Centre for Biophysics (ZBP), the planned new building for biophysics (completion scheduled for 2024), as well as the tenure of the Lautenschläger professorship (Experimental Biophysics) and the new appointment of the WISNA junior professorship Aradilla Zapata (Molecular Cell Biophysics). Along with this expansion of personnel and infrastructure, new technical capacities are needed, among other things in fluorescence microscopy and with regard to the possibility of measuring the mechanics of cells. Until now, this could only be achieved on separate devices (e.g. large-scale spinning disk - AG Lautenschläger and large-scale AFM - AG Wagner) and not with the required throughput. Unfortunately, with the help of the existing devices, it is not possible to assign the parameters of the individual measurements (fluorescence, mechanics) to the same cell, and only very small numbers of cells are measured by AFM (a few cells per day). Due to increasing demand (AG Qu, AG Iden, projects with HIPS in preparation SFB, AG Schneider, AG Kiemer), the necessity to couple fluorescence and mechanics directly and the overload of the existing spinning disk device, we hereby apply for a device that accesses a technology that does not yet exist at the UdS: A high-throughput real-time measurement of mechanical properties of living cells by measuring their fluorescent staining. This device is particularly suitable for suspended cells, such as immune cells (WG Lautenschläger, WG Hoth/ Qu, WG Kiemer, WG Iden) and red blood cells (WG Wagner/Kaestner), tumour cells (WG Lautenschläger, WG Kiemer, WG Iden), but also for measuring artificially produced particles (future links to materials research at the UdS). Three of the applying working groups (Lautenschläger, Kästner, Qu) have already carried out preliminary tests with this technique, and some of the first data from these have already been published. Up to now, these (preliminary) experiments had to be carried out in Dresden or Erlangen, which was associated with considerable difficulties with regard to cell transport and measurement times, as well as with a reduction in sample quality. Therefore, we apply for a fluorescence microscope with real-time force cytometry and temperature control for visualisation and mechanics measurement of living cells.The device will become an integral part of the Centre for Biophysics. Upon completion in 2024, it will be housed in the shared laboratories of the new building for biophysics and will also be available to the Centre's research groups. In addition, the work on this device is strongly integrated into the SFB 1027 (SFB projects AG Lautenschläger, AG Qu, AG Iden).

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Fluoreszenzmikroskop mit Echtzeit-Kräftezytometrie
• Instrumentation Group: 5040 Spezielle Mikroskope (außer 500-503)
• Applicant Institution: Universität des Saarlandes
• Leader: Professorin Dr. Franziska Lautenschläger