Thanks to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center Institutional Development Grant (NCBC IDG) program, the CICBDD and the Hooker Imaging Core were awarded $200,000 to support the purchase of a high content cell imaging system. Matching funds for the instrument were also providing by the Eshelman School of Pharmacy and the School of Medicine. This instrument can rapidly image cells using laser autofocusing, an LED light source and a CMOS camera. Modern high content biosample imaging systems are capable of high resolution detection of cellular and organelle events relevant to disease pathways. Many collaborators will be able to take advantage of its capabilities for enabling cell and phenotypic studies and screens. This will enable discovery of new lead molecules for potential treatment of a variety of diseases, including cancer, neurological disorders, and infectious diseases. The system will be located in the CICBDD and will be jointly managed by the UNC Hooker Imaging Core.
Thanks are also extended to Drs. James Bear, Nate Hathaway and Noah Sciaky for helping lead the proposal and other major contributors: Drs. Channing Der, Shelton Earp, Stephen Frye, Gary Johnson, David Lawrence, and Cyrus Vaziri. In addition, there were contributions from 15 scientists at UNC, Shaw University, NC State, and Meryx. A final evaluation of instruments will be completed within the next few months. Dr. Kenneth Pearce served as the principle investigator for the proposal, so please feel free to make contact for more information or suggestions regarding the choice of a system.