ABSTRACT We request funds of $200K with an institutional cost sharing contribution of $150K to assemble a hyperspectral axially swept light sheet microscope for 3D imaging. The instrument will be tailored to the requirements of two new experiments that should generate high-resolution image data for analytical scrutiny of the causal relations between morphogenic signaling pathways and cell shape modulation. The microscope will support highly sensitive, quasi-simultaneous image acquisition of up to 7 spectrally distinct channels at very low light exposure and at a spatial resolution of 300 nm in XYZ and second scale temporal resolution.