Three Photon Microscopy Suite

We are requesting funding for the development of an advanced facility for three-photon microscopy, an imaging technique with substantial demand but extremely limited availability within the UK. We will build on our world leading expertise of multiphoton fluorescence imaging in live tissue. Two-photon microscopy is limited to a depth of ~600 µm into tissue by the build-up of out-of-focus background light due to scattering. For many applications, it is necessary to image deeper than this in order to understand tissue function in health and disease. Imaging up to 2 mm deep can be accomplished with three-photon microscopy, as it dramatically reduces out-of-focus background light. Applications enabled include visualizing structures within lung the following inhalation of allergens or pathogens, studying brain circuit changes associated with Alzheimer's Disease, and watching the migration of stem cells within bone marrow during infection.