Imagining & Image Analysis Core

在过去9年的COBRE资助支持下，Edward C. Carlson成像和图像分析核心设施已成为一个重要的研究资源，支持我们COBRE资助的神经退行性疾病研究小组以及其他研究人员的显微成像和图像分析需求。核心中心维护并提供荧光、共聚焦、多光子活体和电子显微镜仪器，协助研究人员设计实验，开发新的应用程序，培训研究人员使用显微镜方法和设备，并为核心用户提供与显微镜成像相关的信息资源。核心内的设备包括两台共聚焦显微镜，一台多光子/可见共聚焦活体显微镜，两台荧光显微镜，两台电子显微镜和一系列辅助显微镜设备。新的复杂的共聚焦和多光子设备的采购，服务合同的维护，员工职位的支持，以及在使用我们的成像和图像分析设备方面对调查人员的增加培训，为调查人员提供了使用一系列成像应用程序的能力，这些应用程序在COBRE项目之前是不可用的。在核心中心进行的工作所产生的出版物数量已经增加到这样的程度，即基础科学部门产生的出版物中大约有三分之一包括在成像核心中心设施收集的数据。此外，来自校园其他部门的研究人员，包括生物系、化学系和化学工程系，以及来自UND校园的能源与环境研究中心的研究人员也使用该设施。成像核心设施开展的项目研究了广泛的生物医学问题，包括细胞和组织中的蛋白质分布和表达，蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用，膜受体和转运体分布和功能，以及作为疾病发病机制标志的细胞和组织变化。对这一核心的持续支持将对我们的研究事业的发展至关重要，并将使核心成为支持整个校园以及该地区其他地方研究的可持续资源。

Over the past 9 years of COBRE grant support, the Edward C. Carlson Imaging and Image Analysis Core Facility has become an important research resource that supports the microscopic imaging and image analysis requirements of our COBRE grant supported neurodegenerative disease research group as well as other investigators. The Core maintains and provides access to fluorescence, confocal, multiphoton intravital and electron microscopy instrumentation, assists investigators in the design of experiments, develops new applications, and trains investigators in microscopic methods and use of the equipment, and provides core users with information resources related to microscopic imaging. Equipment housed in the Core includes two confocal microscopes, a multiphoton/visible confocal intravital microscope, two fluorescence microscopes, two electron microscopes, and a range of ancillary microscopy equipment. Acquisition of new sophisticated confocal and multiphoton equipment, maintenance of service contracts, support for staff positions, and increased training of investigators in the use of our imaging and image analysis equipment has provided investigators with the ability to employ a range of imaging applications that were not available prior to the COBRE program. The number of publications arising from work performed in the Core has increased to the point where approximately 1/3 of the publications arising from the basic science departments include data collected in the Imaging Core Facility. Moreover, investigators from other parts of campus including the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering as well as from the Energy and Environmental Research Center on the UND campus use the facility. Projects conducted in the Imaging Core Facility investigate a broad range of biomedical issues including protein distribution and expression in cells and tissues, protein-protein interactions, membrane receptor and transporter distribution and function, and cellular and tissue changes as hallmarks of disease pathogenesis. Continued support of this Core will be critical to growing our research enterprise, and will allow the Core to become a sustainable resource that supports research campus-wide as well as elsewhere in the region.