INTEGRATED MICROSCOPY

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The Integrated Microscopy Facility (IMF) functions as a supervised, user-based Core providing state-of-theart microscopy imaging capabilities to UCCRC members and other University investigators. The primary mission of the Facility is to provide a valuable, unique service to the University community by furnishing highquality microscopy instrumentation, image analysis tools, and expert assistance. In addition, maintaining equipment in optimal condition and training users require skilled technical personnel, something that individual laboratories typically cannot afford. Because imaging technology and computational capacity are evolving so rapidly, it is extremely difficult for individual researchers to maintain or afford cutting-edge capabilities. Integrated Microscopy offers one of the most flexible and informative tools available to researchers, offering scales of detail ranging from tens of millimeters to less than 10 nanometers with appropriate techniques, Available techniques provided by the IMF range from classic color histological stain imaging, to contrast generation in unstained cells, to fluorescence technologies. Fluorescence methods continue to offer the greatest range of applications ranging from localization of multiple targets to readout of biochemical or physiologic parameters in either fixed or living preparations. Accordingly, the greatest resources of the IMF are allocated to fluorescence microscopy. By merging the microscopy facilities created by several campus entities, the combined pool of resources is more efficiently managed and maintained, while also increasing access, capabilities, and capacity for UCCRC member research. Overall use of the IMF has increased close to three times the activity reported in the 2001 CCSG submission. Over 63 peer-reviewed investigators across six Scientific Programs routinely use the IMF, totaling 49% of Facility usage. Services provided by the IMF consist of the following: ¿ Provide state-of-the-art microscopy imaging capabilities including brightfield (color, DIG, etc), fluorescence (multi-dimension; TIRFM; bleaching, etc), high-resolution, -speed, -sensitivity, confocal, and physiologic techniques. ¿ Provide training on all instruments and expert advice to investigators regarding experiment design and execution. Provide oversight to assure proper equipment use and minimize breakage. ¿ Provide computers including networked data servers and software for image analysis and publication. ¿ Serve as an educational resource for University investigators in the use of current microscopy techniques and foster interactions among users.