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

All cells in multicellular animals are genetically programmed to die by a process called apoptosis.  Apoptosis is a normal function and is highly regulated: too much apoptosis is associated with certain neurodegenerative disorders, while too little apoptosis can be a contributing factor in certain types of cancer.We study apoptosis in the fruitfly using genetic analysis to find genes that control this process.  Much of our time is spent examining the phenotypes of these mutants using microscopy.  Using modern live-imaging techniques, we are able to observe normal patterns of apoptosis in living wild type fruitfly embryos and compare what happens in living mutant embryos. What we have learned so far is that the way in which apoptosis is activated in the fruitfly embryo is very similar to the apoptosis that occurs in the neurons of people suffering from Alzheimer's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).  This is very exciting as it suggests that the fruitfly could be a very good place to look for ways to prevent this type of apoptosis from occurring - and could potentially provide new ideas on how to treat these diseases .The equipment we are requesting in this application is a modern high-resolution light microscope that is able to digitally enhance images and remove out-of-focus light.   This powerful technique, called deconvolution microscopy, is becoming one of the microscopist's standard tools and will greatly increase the resolution with which we can observe dying cells.  It will be very useful to many members of our department and would be the first such instrument for the University of Waterloo.