High Resolution Confocal light microscope with incubation chamber (Teilfinanzierung(

The goal is to gain insights at the subcellular level into life cycles, host interactions and dynamic interactions in infection biology of highly pathogenic viruses/bacteria that need to be kept and handled under special security measurements in the BSL3/S3 biosafety laboratory. This creates a unique scientific environment to then establish innovative intervention/vaccination strategies, new industrial contacts and world-wide visibility. To do so, a solid imaging infrastructure in the BSL3/S3 environment through a high-end confocal microscope with superresolution detector is indispensable. Of note, only few research institutions with similarly equipped S3/BSL3 infrastructures are operational to date in Germany providing Freiburg a competitive position to attract collaborations and post docs. To keep the demands high in modern infection research, we need to implement a superresolution light microscope with a highly stable long-time incubation chamber for imaging of complex cellular/viral processes into our BSL3/S3 laboratory. Confocals can take images in which only the focal plane of a sample is visible resulting in an improved signal-to-noise ratio and increase in effective resolution. This is of potential interest in a wide range of experiments, for example those involving thick specimens, intracellular studies, and colocalization, as well as in studies where the three-dimensional structure of the sample is important. The super-resolution detector enables us to take images of specimens beyond the diffraction limit with an equipped climate control chamber to perform live-cell imaging/timelapse measurements. The set-up of a user-friendly, state-of-the-art microscopy facility in the BSL3/S3 area (SARS-CoV, Influenza, Borna Virus, Monkeypox) creates a strategic added value to perform challenging analyses then also with regard to other BSL-2 pathogens (Adenoviruses, Cytomegaloviruses, Herpesviruses, Hepatitis B Viruses and M. ulcerans) as well as bacterial BSL3 pathogens (M. tuberculosis) at the designated location of the device, but with a cross-regional relevance, offering a unique environment to pursue flagship projects and elaborate on previously unsolved questions. The device must be applied to close spatio-temporal gaps in the viral/bacterial life cycle, and to specifically use optical super-resolution to analyze highly dynamic subcellular mechanisms. Combined with a stable live-cell incubation chamber, each sample can be recorded from minutes to days, capturing rare or very short-lived events that we might otherwise miss and surely missed up to know.

DFG Programme Major Research Instrumentation

Major Instrumentation Hochauflösendes Konfokales Lichtmikroskop mit Inkubationskammer (Teilfinanzierung)

Instrumentation Group 5090 Spezialmikroskope

Applicant Institution Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg

Leader Professorin Dr. Sabrina Schreiner