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Microscopy and Imaging Core
Chris Bjornsson, Ph.D.
Director, Microscopy and Imaging Core Facility
Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 8th St.
Troy, NY 12180
Tel: 518-276-3456
Fax: 518-276-4233
Email: bjornc@rpi.edu
The Microscopy and Imaging suite is located on the first floor in the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies.
The facility is equipped with a number of state-of-the-art microscopes and flow cytometers. Its mission is to provide service and consultation on microscopy and flow cytometry to both on and off campus investigators.
Instrumentation
Zeiss LSM 510/Meta laser scanning confocal microscope is ideal for imaging thick fluorescently labeled specimens thanks to the ability to collect thin optical sections with minimal background fluorescence from out-of-focus structures. The Zeiss LSM is equipped with a META detector that can separate numerous fluorescent labels with overlapping emissions.
Zeiss LSM510 NLO Multiphoton Microscope is ideal for imaging very thick fluorescently labeled specimens with less photobleaching and signal attenuation than conventional confocal. Many live specimens can be imaged without causing damage.
Asylum Research MFP 3D AFM Atomic force microscopy can resolve structures on the nanometer scale and forces on a molecular level. Both dry- and wet-mode scanning are available. A bioheater module facilitates live cell imaging for samples where temperature control is necessary.
Olympus IX81 TIRF Microscope Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy is ideal for visualizing structures in the immediate vicinity (~100nm) of the coverslip including cell membrane structure and dynamics, and for resolving single molecules (e.g. DNA, cytoskeletal motility assays). Images boast superior signal-to-noise since structures outside the focal plane are never illuminated.
Scanco Medical Viva CT40 is a high speed in vivo micro CT scanner ideal for resolving dense tissues including bone, contrast-enhanced structures such as vasculature, and soft tissue. The system includes software capable of data acquisition, online/offline reconstruction, 2D & 3D analysis and reconstruction, 3D visualization & animation, and archiving.
MMI Laser Microdissection/Optical Tweezers Optical tweezers are capable of measuring picoNewton forces involved in single molecule dynamics and interactions (e.g. proteins & nucleic acids). Laser microdissection can isolate tissue, single cells, or even submolecular structures (e.g. chromosomes); isolated material can then be prepared for genomic or proteomic analysis.
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