The Imaging/Histopathology Module is a centralized facility in the Anatomy/Cell Biology Department that provides light, confocal laser scanning, and electron microscopic expertise with priority of use to NEI funded Core vision scientists. The Module has been expanded and enhanced with Core grant, Departmental, Institutional, and individual R01 support and offers a wide range of capabilities which will not only enhance ongoing NEI-funded work but which will facilitate new funding opportunities and collaborations as evidenced below. The Module contains two large pieces of equipment, the JEOL 1010 transmission EM and the NEI awarded Leica TSC SP2 confocal laser scanning microscope (the latter is newly added since the last competing renewal of the Core grant). The module is housed on two floors of Scott Hall. A 1900 sq. ft. facility is located in rooms 7341, 7345, 7347, 7350, 7354 in Scott Hall and this site provides for confocal laser scanning and electron microscopy, tissue processing and sectioning, immunochemistry, and slit lamp photography. The 8th floor houses the other suite of Module dedicated rooms and includes 1,200 sq. ft of space (rooms 8344, 8350, 8352 and 8354). This area includes the Zeiss Axiophot and Zeiss Axiocam image processing and analysis microscope system as well as the Zeiss Apotome microscope. The area also includes computer workstation areas, 3 MacinTosh and 5 PC computers, flat bed scanner capability, 8 printers and a variety of software (including Metamorph). Superb technical support, equipment oversight and training to investigators is provided by skilled research assistants, Mr. Ronald Barrett (7th floor) and Mrs. Yaoying Wang (8th floor). Collaboration within the Module occurs in a variety of ways. Most basically, the Module provides skilled technical expertise and well-maintained equipment to NEI funded individuals who are not primarily morphologists. For example, an ophthalmologist may need to document by morphological or other photographic methods a cell population that he is interested in isolating and characterizing or growing in the Core tissue culture facility. The type of assistance provided by the Module for this need is at a simple, yet important level to that individual. Collaboration may also consist of assistance in experimental protocol development, determining appropriate fixatives to be utilized, interpretation of morphological data, photographic figure preparation, digital graphics applications, poster and slide production, and lastly, the possibility of collaboration in manuscript submission. It is also the goal of the Module to enhance, at lower priority, collaboration and productivity of those who are seeking NEI funding by providing technical assistance, equipment availability and interaction with vision researchers of diverse fields. These types of collaborations and interactions are currently provided for by the facility and it is the goal of the Module co-directors to continue to encourage and expand them.
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