Award Details:
Award Type: Catalyst
Award #: C-062
Proposal Title: Deep Brain Super-Resolution Imaging of Neuronal Architechture
PI(s): Hao F. Zhang and Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy (NU), and Patrick La Riviere (UChicago)
Award Amount: $200,000.00
Application Cycle: Round 19 (Spring 2015)
Award Start Date: September 1, 2015
Award End Date: August 31, 2017
Abstract:
The goal of this project is to demonstrate the feasibility of a first-of-its-kind super-resolution optical technology for in vivo deep-brain imaging of neuronal architecture. Our long-term goal is to understand and sculpt neural circuit plasticity through in vivo imaging and neuromodulation, which may transform how we understand and treat neurological diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for achieving nanoscale spatial resolution in optical imaging underscores the significance of optical nanoscopic imaging. However, none of the existing optical nanoscopic imaging technologies can be applied to tissue imaging beyond 100-μm depth. We fill this gap by developing a deep-penetrating (greater than 500 μm) optical technology that can achieve a spatial resolution of at least 100 nm , referred to as two- photon scanning patterned illumination microscopy. During the technology development process, we will image nanosphere phantoms, brain slices, and fluorescently-labeled mouse brain in vivo.