Submitter
Griffith Parks, Associate Dean for Research and Director, Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine
Amount Awarded (non-recurring)
$300,000
Project Summary
The money will be used to purchase a High Imaging Platform for UCF researchers in the biomedical sciences. The platform will provide researchers with an ultra-high resolution imaging system, which is intended to help researchers advance the understanding of cancer, neuroscience and infectious diseases. The need for the platform is essential because biomedical sciences research is heavily dependent on the use of animals as models for human disease. However, a major challenge is the ability to visualize, image, record and study the structure, content and organization of complex tissues. (Maybe use another word for this?) For example, cancer research often involves the need to visualize the growth and characteristics of tumor tissue within the context of surrounding normal tissue, or to visualize the infiltration of immune cells to the tumor site. To be effective, these studies require ultra-high-resolution images and the use of a large number of “markers” on one sample coupled to powerful analysis software. These markers for different cell types are important to distinguish normal tissue from the wide range of types of tumors (e.g., aggressive tumors) and to identify the immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. The platform will allow researchers to conduct this visualization in large quantities and at a faster rate than they can do so with current equipment available at UCF.
Collaborators
- College of Medicine
- College of Engineering and Computer Science
- Nemours Childrens Hospital
- Biionix Cluster
Matching Funds
$300,000