Overview of Services

Meso and Micro-Scale Lightsheet Microscopy

Equipment: Zeiss Gaussian Lightsheet 7 (LS7) | LifeCanvas Smart SPIM Lightsheet

• Rapid volumetric imaging of fixed and cleared whole mouse and rat organs, tumor fragments and embryos
• Dual sided lightsheet illumination
• LS7 lasers: 405, 445, 488, 514, 561 and 638 nm
• LifeCanvas lasers: 445, 488, 561 and 633 nm

Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy with Spectral HyD Detectors

Equipment: Leica SP8 Confocal Microscope | Zeiss LSM880 Confocal Microscope 

• Fast imaging of live or fixed cells and tissues by resonant or conventional scanning
• Highest sensitivity photon-counting HyD detectors
• Spatial resolution ~250 nm (XY), ~600 nm (Z)
• Channel unmixing by spectral fingerprinting
• 3-D visualization
• Reflection mode using AOBS
• FRET and FRAP modules
• Automated image stitching for large specimens and 3-D Assay imaging in multi-well plates
• Inverted configuration

Intravital Multiphoton (2-photon) Microscopy

Equipment: Leica SP8 DIVE Multiphoton Microscope

• Dynamic imaging of cellular behavior in vivo
• Immune surveillance
• Cancer metastasis and invasion
• Expertise in intravital tumor microscopy including in skin, lung, brain, pancreas, liver, bone and lymph nodes
• Thick specimen imaging - fresh or fixed tissue, organoids
• Conventional galvo point scanning
• 8 kHz resonant scanning for highest speed
• Non-linear optical imaging by second and third harmonics (SHG/THG)
• SpectraPhysicsInsight X3 dual beam laser 680-1300 nm and 1040 nm
• 4 high QE non-descanned spectral hybrid (HyD) detectors
• Heated animal platform and EZ-9000 anesthesia
• Scientifica stage and incubation with CO2 control
• VueBio Organ Suction Holder
• Upright configuration

Super-Resolution Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM)

Equipment: OMX Blaze V4 Microscope

• Spatial resolution ~120 nm (XY), ~300 nm (Z)
• 3-D high impact imaging of cellular structures

Total Internal Reflection Microscopy (TIRF)

Equipment: OMX Blaze V4 Microscope 

• Spatial resolution ~250 nm (XY), ~ 100 nm (Z thickness)
• Studies of live cell membrane receptor-ligand interactions, cellular adhesion, endo and exocytosis, etc.

Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP)

Equipment: Leica SP8 Confocal Microscope | Zeiss LSM880 Confocal Microscope

• Dynamics of molecule trafficking in cells

Super-Resolution Localization Microscopy (STORM/PALM/GSD)

Equipment: OMX Blaze V4 Microscope (2-D)

• Spatial resolution ~20 nm (XY), ~ 60 nm (Z)
• Molecular studies of subcellular structures at the highest optical resolution available

Förster/Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Imaging

Equipment: OMX Blaze V4 Microscope | Leica SP8 Confocal Microscope | Zeiss LSM880 Confocal Microscope

• 1-10 nm molecular distance sensitivity
• Static and dynamic mapping of molecular interactions inside cells
• ‘Cyan/Yellow’, ‘Green/Red’ and ‘Red/Far Red’ donor/acceptor compatibility
• Sensitized Emission (3-Cube) Method or Photobleaching Method

Image Analysis and Visualization

IMARIS Software (2SCR3.3203 and 3SCR2.3412)

• High-end 3/4D Image Visualization and Analysis
• Adaptive thresholding with feature identification (spots, cells, nuclei, cytoplasm, cell membranes, neuronal dendrites, etc)
• Hundreds of morphological measurements
• Colocalization
• 3-D video design with rotations, fly-through, zooming and time-lapse visualization
• Spatiotemporal tracking
• Compatible with most existing microscope brands and image formats

LAS X (Leica Confocal Software) (2SCR3.3130)

• Image pre-processing and basic analysis of images from Leica SP8 Confocal Microscope
• De-noising, spectral channel unmixing, distance measurement, z-stack projection (maximum intensity or average), 3-D rotation movie rendering, colocalization coefficients

SoftWorx (OMX microscope)

• Image pre-processing and basic analysis of images from OMX Blaze SIM Microscope
• De-noising, distance measurement, z-stack projection (maximum intensity or average), 3-D rotation movie rendering, colocalization coefficients, FRET, etc.

Contact 

Collene Jeter |Core Director | cjeter@mdanderson.org| 832-750-7259 (office) & 512-694-0586 (cell)

M. Anna Zal |Core Manager | mazal@mdanderson.org| 713-563-7306 (office) & 346-234-0480 (cell)

Han Yang | Sr Research Asst | hyang13@mdanderson.org | 713-794-1902 (office) 

Locations and hours of operation

Links and Resources

1. MD Anderson Advanced Microscopy Core

Contacts

Map