PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT The instrument requested in this Administrative Supplement for Equipment Purchase is a Tecan Spark Cyto 400 multimode cell imaging plate reader, which will significantly enhance the research aims of the parent grant award (1R15GM152964-01) and the research environment at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL). The parent NIH R15 AREA for Undergraduate-Focused Institutions project is to probe direct interactions between amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) and the proteins comprising the NLRP3 inflammasome. Ultimately, we will seek to characterize how those interactions lead to inflammasome function. The multimode cell imaging plate reader possesses substantial versatility and will be involved in all three specific aims of the parent grant serving as a key workhorse for many assays and cell studies. The instrument will replace current plate readers that are each over 20 years old and limited in their capabilities. The absorbance, fluorescence and luminescence capabilities of the Spark Cyto 400 are broad and will have a major impact on the training and involvement of student researchers at UMSL. The live cell imaging capability (brightfield, phase contrast and fluorescence), environmental and mechanical control, quantitation ability, and automated programmable reads are all important and highly desirable aspects that will improve the speed and quality of the R15 project findings.