Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

This proposal seeks funding for the purchase of a hyperspectral dark field microscope. The microscope is a state of the art instrument capable of high resolution dark field imaging at different wavelengths. This system will also allow both fluorescence and white light imaging. A dark field microscope is an essential component required for the completion of several of the research projects carried out at the University of Victoria. The high contrast offered by the dark-field mode will allow metallic nanoparticles to be identified in complex systems. This characteristic is being used to develop nanoparticle-based probes capable of targeting specific proteins at the surface of cancer cells. The use of nanoparticles will provide insights into the changes in cell chemistry provoked by external stresses, such as ionizing radiation and drugs. This project will lead to a better understanding of cancer cell biochemistry that can lead to new tools for cancer diagnostic and treatment. Although the contrast with nanoparticles is high in the dark field, the system will also be used to characterize components in regular cells. For instance, the dark field capabilities will be used to verify the changes in proteins expression in spirochete bacterium Leptospira provoked by the environment. The dark field capabilities of the microscope will be utilized in the development of new polymeric nanoparticles fabricated in microfluidic reactors. These colloidal nanostructures have the potential to become a new generation of devices for targeted drug delivery. Approaches for drug delivery using supramolecular systems are also being pursued. The requested system will be required to study the binding properties of large aggregates and gels that can be further developed into drug delivery platforms.