Edward C. Carlson Imaging and Image Analysis Core Facility

This facility at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences provides advanced instrumentation for researchers interested in investigating biological processes at the cellular, sub-cellular and molecular level.

The center consists of two facilities:

Light Microscopy Core (Rm B907)

The light microscopy suite is equipped with a Zeiss LSM 510 META confocal and FCS system, an Olympus Fluoview 300 confocal laser-scanning confocal microscope, an Olympus FV1000MPE multiphoton/single photon microscope system for intravital imaging, a Nikon TE300 fluorescent microscope, and a Nikon Eclipse80i fluorescent microscope. Renovation of the light microscopy suite and purchase of both the Zeiss LSM 510 META confocal system and Olympus FV1000 multiphoton system were made possible with funds awarded through COBRE, a special program (Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence) that NIH designed to cultivate research expertise among junior faculty and strengthen the research infrastructure of states that do not receive as much NIH funding as some large states.

Electron Microscopy Core (Rm B910)

The electron microscopy suite is equipped with a full array of light and electron microscopic sectioning instrumentation including two RMC MTX ultramicrotomes equipped with Diatome diamond knives, and a Leica RM 2125 paraffin microtome.  Preparation equipment for scanning electron microscopy include two Denton Desk II gold/palladium sputter coaters, and one Denton Desk II TSC platinum turbo sputter coater. A Denton DV502 carbon vacuum evaporator is also available.  The suite houses an Hitachi 7500 TEM and an Hitachi 4700 field emission SEM dedicated for biological samples. A fully equipped ark room is included in the suite for developing TEM films.  This facility provides state-of-the art powerful scanning and transmission electron microscopic capabilities, necessary for examining cellular and extracellular ultrastructure biological samples at the molecular level of resolution.

The light and electron microscopic facilities, complete with ancillary support equipment, are located in close proximity to each other within a suite of rooms housed in the medical school.

It is expected that users of the Carlson Imaging Core Facility will acknowledge use of the facility in published work according to the policy outlined in the imaging center policies (linked to policies page).