EMU: Acquisition of Inverted Biological Microscope with Fluorescence and Multimodal Microplate Reader.

• Grant number: 23/17103-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Infrastructure Program - Small Medium Sized
• Start date: September 01, 2024
• End date: August 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology - Cytology and Cell Biology
• Principal Investigator: Juliana Elaine Perobelli
• Grantee: Juliana Elaine Perobelli
• Host Institution: Instituto do Mar (IMar). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus Baixada Santista. Santos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Gustavo Bueno Gregoracci ; Ítalo Braga de Castro ; Lucas Buruaem Moreira ; Paula Christine Jimenez

Abstract

Fluorescence microscopy is an important tool in the study of biological samples, with applicability in various research fields including experimental microbiology, cell cultures, in vivo experimental studies, and ecotoxicology, areas that encompass the projects associated with the present proposal. Furthermore, the requested microscope has potential applications for the identification and quantification of microplastic particles, a significant focus of research at IMAR-UNIFESP. This equipment will be crucial for diverse studies in environmental microbiology, as it allows the quantification of microbial cells and viral particles after fluorescence labeling, enabling such quantifications in freshly collected samples and at the beginning of research projects, guiding subsequent stages of the studies and preventing the significant abundance losses that occur in stored samples, even after fixation. For projects in experimental toxicology and ecotoxicology, another important research area at IMAR, it will enable the detection, localization, and co-localization of biomarkers of interest in various biological samples collected in in vivo studies, elucidating mechanisms and cellular pathways responsible for observed biological responses under studied conditions, such as acute or chronic exposure to environmental pollutants or analyses of organisms from areas potentially impacted by pollutants. Finally, it is crucial to highlight the indispensable role of this equipment in experimental studies using in vitro strategies, such as cellular models. The Inverted Biological Microscope with fluorescence allows, in addition to the observation of histological slides, work on culture plates, enabling cell counting, convergence assessment, as well as the study of important biomarkers through fluorescence techniques. In addition to the research projects associated with this proposal and mentioned above, many other studies will be possible with the acquisition of this equipment, allowing the technical-scientific training of dozens of postgraduate students from IMAR-UNIFESP and other institutions.The SpectraMax® ID3 multimodal microplate reader has a wide range of applications, such as Absorbance, Cell Viability, Cell Signaling, DNA/RNA Quantification, ELISA, Fluorescence, Luminescence, Microbiology, Protein Detection, Quantification, and Analysis, Enzymatic and Inhibitory Kinetics, among others. The reader allows work with microvolumes, an essential feature for the study of rare biological samples. The broad UV/Vis and fluorescence reading ranges offered by the SpectraMax® ID3 multimodal microplate reader will be essential for accessing the biological activities of new molecules prospecting from marine organisms, diversifying models, and allowing the expansion of tests. For bioassays in toxicology and ecotoxicology, the reader has characteristics that are essential for determining the enzymatic activity of different biomarkers, and for some fluorescence readings, it eliminates the need for the acquisition of an additional set of filters. Together, the Inverted Biological Microscope with Fluorescence, ZEISS Axiovert 5, and the Multimodal Plate Reader SpectraMax ID3,will consolidate the nucleation of the first cell culture laboratory at IMAR-UNIFESP, which already has a laminar flow hood, CO2 incubator, and other smaller equipment, fostering the structuring of this promising institution. (AU)