# Super Resolution 3D-STED Microscope for a Core Facility

> **NIH NIH S10** · UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON · 2024 · $1,197,188

## Abstract

Project Summary
We are seeking funding to procure an Aberrior FACILITY Line Stimulated Emission Depletion (STED) super-
resolution microscope system. This equipment will bolster the research efforts of 13 NIH-funded scientists at the
University of Texas Health Sciences Center (UTHealth) in Houston and the MD Anderson Cancer Center
(MDACC), spanning across six departments within the McGovern Medical School (MMS) at UTHealth and one
at MDACC. The instrument will introduce a unique, high-resolution multi-color nanoscopy capability to the MMS
and the broader Texas Medical Center, as the first of its kind in the region. The cutting-edge STED imaging
system can achieve up to 20 nm lateral (xy) and 70 nm axial (z) resolutions, maintaining these resolutions to a
depth of up to 80 μm into tissue samples. These features will provide our research community with unparalleled
nanoscale imaging, filling a crucial gap in our existing methodologies. Specifically, the microscope will be
invaluable for studies demanding high-resolution imaging of complex cellular and tissue structures at molecular
scales, where other super-resolution techniques often fall short. The Aberrior FACILITY Line attains excellent
resolution with its innovative easy3D STED technology, and its matrix detector array with over 20 avalanche
photodiodes improves image clarity by minimizing out-of-focus light; utilizes Adaptive Optics with a flexible mirror
to correct for lateral and axial optical aberrations resulting from refractive index variations within the sample; and
mitigates photobleaching through adaptive illumination that concentrates the excitation/depletion exclusively
where a signal is detected. The microscope will be housed in a dedicated room within the Center for Advanced
Microscopy, a UTHealth Shared Resource, located in the medical school building. The imaging core’s full-time
staff will facilitate maintenance and user training, supplemented by the FACILITY Line's auto-alignment feature
for optimal alignment of the excitation and STED depletion beams with the pinhole. The institution has pledged
to cover 10% of the instrument's purchase cost and 100% of the 5-year service contract cost. This support will
enable low fee-for-use operation, while maintaining at least 10% of peak usage availability for non-S10 users.
Additionally, up to 10% of usage will be allocated free of charge to support junior or un-funded investigators. The
investigators who stand to benefit from the proposed instrument are engaged in research spanning a wide range
of health and disease areas. Regardless of their focus, they all share a need to investigate biochemical
processes and molecular mechanisms at nanoscale, beyond the diffraction limit. The STED system will not only
further their innovative work, but also augment the suite of tools accessible to the broader research community,
thus enriching research pursuits at UTHealth Houston and the Texas Medical Center. In summary, we are
requesting funds to ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10854225
- **Project number:** 1S10OD036331-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HLTH SCI CTR HOUSTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Travis I Moore
- **Activity code:** S10 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $1,197,188
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-08-15 → 2025-08-14

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10854225

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10854225, Super Resolution 3D-STED Microscope for a Core Facility (1S10OD036331-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10854225. Licensed CC0.

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