# The role of dynamics in defining the limits of normal developmental signaling

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2021 · $193,878

## Abstract

Summary
In this supplement, we request funding to purchase a live-cell fluorescence microscope that will replace failing
essential equipment, and which will significantly upgrade our ability to collect cell signaling biosensor data with
high spatial and temporal resolution. The parent project for this supplement is centered on using live-cell
biosensor experiments to collect kinetic data on kinase activity and gene expression. These datasets uniquely
enable computational modeling of the relationship between signal transduction pathways and gene expression.
Because of the time-intensive nature of these long-term time-lapse imaging experiments, we need a dedicated
live-cell microscopy system that can run continuously for multi-day experiments. Our current systems have
enabled significant conceptual and methodological advances in growth factor signaling but face two major
problems: 1) frequent down-time due to failures of aging equipment and 2) outdated technology that limits our
ability to collect high-quality data from live cells. The proposed instrument would dramatically decrease the
amount of personnel time lost to component failures. Furthermore, the proposed instrument will take advantage
of a large field of view sCMOS camera that can collect data from nearly twice as many cells in each experiment;
these additional data will directly improve our computational modeling efforts by capturing more unique cellular
behaviors. Finally, the new instrument will include automation to enable the use of 40X and 60X water immersion
objective lenses for long-term time time-lapse experiments. Relative to our current imaging systems that rely on
20X and 40X non-immersion lenses, these lenses will increase spatial resolution and sensitivity, enabling
experiments in which we can link signal transduction and gene expression to morphological changes in key
organelles such as autophagosomes and mitochondria, which our work has implicated in regulation of the
dynamic kinase activity being studied.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10390229
- **Project number:** 3R01GM115650-05S1
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** John G. Albeck
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $193,878
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2016-08-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10390229

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10390229, The role of dynamics in defining the limits of normal developmental signaling (3R01GM115650-05S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-28 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10390229. Licensed CC0.

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