# ShEEP Request for Confocal Microscope

> **NIH VA IS1** · VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION · 2021 · —

## Abstract

Abstract
Microscopes were first invented in the 1590s and quickly became a fundamental part of research to visualize
tissues and cells. In the 1940s, confocal microscopy was first introduced to increase optical resolution. The
ability to image tissue at different depths enabled the reconstruction of three-dimensional structures within an
object which greatly aided in understanding the relationship between different intracellular structures as well as
the structural relationship between cells and neurons in healthy and diseased tissues. Due to this ability to
interrogate biological structures in such detail, confocal microscopy has become an essential tool for scientists.
Here, we request a new Nikon A1R HD25 MP ready confocal microscope which will replace our existing
Olympus FV1000 confocal microscope that is over 12 years old (obtained with ShEEP funds in 2008). The
Nikon A1R confocal has multiple advancements, including higher resolution, larger imaging area, faster
acquisition speed, increased analytical throughput, more sophisticated imaging software that includes artificial
intelligence components, live cell imaging and the ability to perform electrophysiology recordings
simultaneously. Importantly, this new Nikon A1R confocal microscope can be easily upgraded to include
multiphoton capabilities in the future, using the same footprint. Eighteen investigators at the Atlanta VA
Healthcare System were identified that would be major and minor users of this microscope. They were eager
to support this proposal with anticipation that upgrading to the Nikon A1R confocal microscopy would enhance
their research by providing advanced imaging options. Thus, we propose the purchase of the Nikon A1R
confocal microscopy system to support and accelerate the innovative research being performed by Atlanta VA
investigators to improve veteran healthcare.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10179606
- **Project number:** 1IS1BX005545-01
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
- **Principal Investigator:** Machelle T. Pardue
- **Activity code:** IS1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-10-01 → 2021-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10179606

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10179606, ShEEP Request for Confocal Microscope (1IS1BX005545-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10179606. Licensed CC0.

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