High Resolution Confocal light microscope with incubation chamber (Teilfinanzierung(

• Subject Area: Microbiology, Virology and Immunology
• Term: Funded in 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 538776603

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