Digital Imaging Microscopy Center
|
|
|
During the past year, the Whitaker CVI Digital Imaging Microscopy Center, under the direction of Michael Kirber, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, has completed work, thus allowing two-photon confocal imaging of live and fixed specimens to begin. One paper has been published with images from this system and collaborations have been initiated with several groups. The design of a novel multi-focus two-photon scanning system is complete and the prototype will be tested soon. The interface for the ultra high-speed CCD camera designed at Lincoln Laboratory is complete, and test images have been acquired at rates up to 1,428 images per second. The combination of multi-focus, two-photon illumination and the low-noise, high-speed camera should give the Center unique imaging capabilities not available elsewhere. The Center has been able to stream images from the camera to the hard disk of a specially designed computer without losing any frames during the transfer. Problems with respect to the cooling system for the argon-ion laser have been solved, and the Center should be able to do wide-field illumination experiments soon. As soon as the multi-point scanning system is complete, the Center intends to begin experiments measuring intracellular calcium transients at high speed in several cell types. Dr. Kirber hopes to gather sufficient preliminary data for a funding proposal in the near future. |
