Light Sheet Microscope / Single Plane Illumination Microscope

• Subject Area: Basic Research in Biology and Medicine
• Term: Funded in 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 462407046

This application outlines the need for a light sheet microscope to be integrated into the long existing microscopic core facility of the Philipps University of Marburg. The existing microscope systems in the field of life cell imaging, such as spinning disc and multiphoton microscopes, are to be expanded to be able to handle new projects in the fields of medicine and biology. Only this system combines two required central characteristics: high imaging speed combined with a high penetration depth into the tissue. The associated computer and storage unit enables the handling of the very large amounts of data produced and allows the working groups to access the measurement data from their workstations for evaluation.The medical projects mainly deal with tumor biological questions concerning invasion and metastasis in ovarian, breast and pancreatic cancer. Three-dimensional organoid and spheroid cultures are increasingly used.High-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, which is the focus of many projects, is the most deadly gynecological tumor despite its chemosensitivity, especially due to its extensive peritoneal metastasis and the formation of recurrences. Although the underlying mechanisms are largely unexplained, a causal involvement of tumor cell spheroids floating in the peritoneal effusion fluid (ascites) in the abdomen is highly probable. Accordingly, ex vivo studies on spheroid models using light sheet microscopy are recommended.In addition to ovarian cancer, projects of the DFG-funded Clinical Research group 325 (KFO325) are primarily concerned with pancreatic cancer, with a strong focus on the interaction of tumor, immune and stroma cells. These interactions can be mediated by soluble factors (secreted signal molecules, exosomes, etc.) and/or by cell-cell contacts. Light-sheet microscopy is predestined for the investigation of spatial cell-cell interactions.Further projects deal with mechanisms of (immune) pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases with special focus on bronchial asthma with the aim to develop new causal and stratified prevention and therapy strategies for specific phenotypes of this disease. Murine and human bronchial organoids will be used to model complex inflammatory states in vitro in coculture experiments and to investigate their influence on epithelial structures and their (possible) regeneration.A large number of projects, especially in the field of biology, deal with aspects of embryonic development on various model systems such as Drosophila, zebrafish and Hydra.All projects are supervised by employees in the Core Facility staff and the microscope applied for is permanently under the supervision and support of Core Facility.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Lichtblatt-Mikroskop
• Instrumentation Group: 5040 Spezielle Mikroskope (außer 500-503)
• Applicant Institution: Philipps-Universität Marburg
• Leader: Dr. Katrin Roth