Equipment: MRI Track 1: Acquisition of a High-Speed Confocal Imaging System for Dynamic Physical and Biological Soft Systems

Creating new technology such as strong coatings, everyday products, and medical tools requires understanding of how materials work at a microscopic level. To address this need, this project will support the acquisition of a high-speed, 3D imaging microscope for a research team in Northeast Ohio. This advanced tool will let scientists watch the fast movements and shapes of soft materials in real time. The discoveries made with this microscope will innovations such as more efficient manufacturing processes, targeted cancer therapies, and better medical devices. The project will train college and graduate students with hands-on research and offer science programs for local high schoolers. The objective of this award is to acquire a high-speed confocal imaging system to serve as a core facility for characterizing dynamic physical and biological soft systems. The instrument integrates a multi-beam confocal scanning head, a high-speed piezoelectric stage, multi-channel laser excitation, and a stage-top environmental chamber to enable rapid, high-resolution spatial and temporal imaging in two and three dimensions. Researchers will employ the system to conduct three-dimensional tracking and microrheology of particles in drying coatings, evaluate the intracellular transport and stability of nucleic acid nanoparticles, and investigate the endosomal escape of lipid-coated gas nanobubbles stimulated by ultrasound. Additional projects will examine engineered cartilage tissue development, primary cilia deformation under varying fluid flow, and the abnormal adhesion mechanisms of red blood cells in disease models. By providing high temporal resolution and three-dimensional imaging capabilities, the equipment fills an infrastructure gap for researchers in the region. The broader impact objectives include catalyzing multi-institutional and industrial collaborations, as well as integrating advanced microscopy demonstrations and laboratory modules into engineering, chemistry, and biology coursework. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.