The detection and imaging of molecules in biological systems is an increasingly important tool in biomedical research. The High Resolution Imaging Facility provides RDCC investigators with access to state of the art Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy, , Multiphoton Laser Scanning Microscopy, and digital imaging equipment and the technical expertise to use it effectively. In 1998, Dr. Kent Keyser was the recipient of an NIH NCRR Shared Instrument Grant, a UAB Health Services Foundation award, and start-up funs from the UAB Office of the Provost, the Chairs of Departments in both the Medical and Academic Divisions of UAB, and Center Directors. These funds were used to establish the High Resolution Imaging Facility. This imaging resource is equipped with two Leica Confocal Imaging Spectrophotometer TCS SP units, one configured for multiphoton excitation with a Coherent MIRA TI:Sa ultrafast laser with output selectable between 690-990 nanometers, and the other equipped for UV excitation. The Multiphoton instrument allows imaging of living cells and tissues with reduced photoxicity, and imaging of structures up to 200- 4000 micrometers below the tissue surface. The SP scan head includes a spectrophotometer, allowing selection of specific portions of the emission spectrum for delivery to the detectors. The result is higher fluorescence yield, reduced crosstalk, and improved image quality. The Leica TCS SP unit equipped with a UV laser and UV corrected optics, as available to RDCC members through a cooperative agreement with the Birmingham Veteran's Administration Medical Center. The Facility also includes an Olympus Fluoview CLSM with fiber launched Krypton ion and Argon ion lasers, conventional fluorescence and DIC microscopy equipment, and work stations equipped with digital deconvolution, software, output and image storage devices. The confocal software packages offer three- dimensional reconstruction, time-lapse imaging, physiology packages, and morphometry routines. The Facility offers RDCC members access to a state-of-the-art imaging facility with a full range of instrumentation and the expertise to use these resources productively.
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