MDACC Advanced Microscopy Core

Our location: South Campus 2SCR3.3023 (office)

Overview of Services

Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy with Spectral HyD Detectors

Equipment: Leica SP8 Confocal Microscope with fast scanners, spectral detectors and live cell enclosure (2SCR3.3130)

• 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
• FRAP (Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching) for molecule dynamics
• Automated image stitching for large specimens and 3-D Assay imaging in multi-well plates

Intravital Multiphoton (2-Photon) Microscopy

Equipment: Custom Leica SP5MP Microscope with dual MaiTai fs Lasers, 2x4-channel non-descanned detection, Becker&Hickl FLIM/PLIM, and small animal life support (2SCR3.3123)

• Dynamic imaging of cellular behavior in vivo
• Extensive expertise in intravital tumor microscopy including in skin, lung, brain, pancreas, liver, bone, intestine and lymph nodes
• Immune surveillance
• Cancer metastasis and invasion
• Thick specimen imaging - fresh tissues, tumor spheroids, tissue phantoms, clarified tissues
• Therapeutic mechanisms
• Up to 8 color channels by dual laser excitation multiplexing
• Two photon FLIM and PLIM (fluorescence and phosphorescence lifetime imaging microscopy)
• Project/grant collaboration

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

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

Equipment: Vutara SR-200 Biplane Microscope (3-D) and 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

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.)

Förster/Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Imaging

Equipment: OMX Blaze V4 Microscope, Intelligent Imaging Innovations Dual Camera Nikon Eclipse Ti 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

LCS3.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.

IMARIS Software (2SCR3.3203)

• 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

Leadership

Tomasz Zal | Core Director

M. Anna Zal | Core Manager | mazal@mdanderson.org | tel. 713-563-7306

Location and hours of operation

Links and Resources

1. MD Anderson Advanced Microscopy Core

Contacts

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