Funds are requested to establish an integrated Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) facility for NIH-funded research at Washington University School of Medicine. There is a pressing need for updated AFM capabilities as there is currently no AFM on the School of Medicine campus, and AFM instruments elsewhere at Washington University are fully utilized and technically outdated. The proposal will support 22 NIH grant projects of 6 Major Users (with published AFM experience), and 7 Minor Users. Planned AFM applications include cell motility, bacteriology, brain tumor biology, microfluidics, and nanotechnology. Because an important research focus is protein aggregation in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, the AFM will be acquired by the Hope Center for Neurological Disorders, an interdepartmental research unit administered within the Department of Neurology. The Hope Center will provide financial support for renovation, service contracts, and personnel. Installation within an established microscopy core facility will assist in user training, protocol development, scheduling, data analysis and dissemination. A highly experienced AFM technician will train and assist users. Strong technical expertise for the AFM facility is provided by co-investigators Frank Yin (Department of Biomedical Engineering) and Karen Wooley (Department of Chemistry), major users who operate current Washington University AFM labs. [unreadable] [unreadable] The requested instrumentation includes a Veeco (formerly Digital) Nanoscope V control station operating two scanning probe heads: PicoForce MultiMode (optimized for atomic scale molecular analysis), and BioScope II (for cellular imaging and simultaneous AFM/fluorescence imaging on a Zeiss Axiovert optical microscope), together with required equipment for vibration isolation and environmental control. The proposed configuration will allow optimal integration of optical microscopy and other AFM facilities at Washington University, with potential for significant future expansion as user needs increase. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]