High Resolution Imaging Facility
Director: Kent Keyser, PhD
Department/Center Association: Comprehensive Cancer Center, Arthritis and Musculoskeletal
Center, Gregory Fleming James Cystic Fibrosis Research Center, Vision Science Research Center, Cell Adhesion and Matrix Research Center, Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Center, and the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC)
Established: 1998

Mission
The mission of the facility is to provide investigators with access to state-of-the-art Confocal laser scanning microscopy, Multiphoton laser scanning microscopy, digital imaging equipment, and electron microscopy, as well as the technical expertise to use them effectively. The facility was established with the goals of:

1) providing biomedical researchers at UAB with access to state-of-the-art Confocal laser scanning microscopy and Multiphoton laser scanning microscopy imaging instrumentation;
2) providing both the technical resources and expertise for the application of specialized imaging techniques including high resolution 3-dimensional fluorescence imaging of intra- or extracellular constituents such as Ca2+, intracellular trafficking of molecules or organelles, and subsequent image analysis and interpretation to problems in biomedical research; and
3) fostering more interdisciplinary research including the development of new imaging applications and modalities for biomedical research.

Facility Description
Imaging instrumentation is primarily housed in the Shelby Building, with additional equipment in the McCallum Building and the VAMC. Available equipment includes a Confocal laser scanning microscope (an Olympus Fluoview CLSM with fiber launched krypton ion and argon ion lasers and a Leica TCS SP unit equipped with a UV laser and UV corrected optics), a Multiphoton laser scanning microscope (a Leica TCS SP unit configured for multiphoton excitation with a Coherent MIRA Ti:Sa ultrafast laser), a FRET/FRAP/FLIP confocal microscope (Leica TCS SP2), and digital imaging equipment. The confocal software packages offer three-dimensional reconstruction, time-lapse imaging, physiology packages and morphometry routines.

Research Information
The facility supports research projects including the visualization of organelles or proteins in living cells, trafficking of labeled proteins within cells and translocation to the nucleus or cell surface, three dimensional reconstruction of tissue samples, fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, and high temporal resolution of changes in intracellular Ca2+. In addition an EM facility with a full time staff member is available for assistance with ultrastructural studies. For more information, please contact the Director or a facility manager.

Services and Fees
Fees are charged for some resources and equipment. Users may work with facility personnel in the design, collection, and analysis of data, or they may request training in the use of the instrumentation and thereafter work without supervision. Please note that the use of the ultrafast laser requires the assistance of facility personnel. Please see the website listed below for additional information on fees and equipment rental.

Contact Information
Core Director: Kent Keyser, PhD
Email: ktkeyser@uab.edu
Phone: 205-975-7225

Core Manager: Albert Tousson, MS
Email: tousson@uab.edu
Phone: 205-934-7855

Core Specialist: Shawn Williams, BS
Email: tzaron@uab.edu
Phone: 205-934-7403

Web Site: http://main.uab.edu/show.asp?durki=34926


Approved by: Kent Keyser, PhD, Director
Date: March 1, 2007

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