The Wistar Institute Imaging Facility

The Wistar Institute Imaging Facility provides exceptional microscopy and imaging services, as well as individual access to a variety of state-of-the-art imaging resources for members of the Wistar research community.

The imaging systems have been designed to be extremely flexible to reflect a broad range of challenging scientific questions and specimens. Each system provides a combination of illumination, optics and image capture options. Diverse subjects ranging from fluorescently tagged live cell cultures and stained tissue sections, to 3D tumor spheroids and low magnification explanted tissues, can be accommodated with available systems.

Current equipment includes standard upright and inverted fluorescence microscopes, a customized live-cell time lapse microscope capable of 6D imaging, a laser scanning confocal microscope, a 2-photon microscope designed for in vivo imaging, a small animal, whole body luminescence and fluorescence imager, special low magnification (photomacrography) systems as well as a variety of traditional photographic cameras, lenses and lighting equipment. Users of the facility may be trained for unassisted use of all core assets, or they may elect assisted service with the facility staff performing the imaging.

The Imaging staff also provides assistance to researchers with additional aspects of their imaging requirements. Ideal approaches to specimen documentation are often unique to the experiment and the staff can help design the most effective imaging protocols to answer a particular question. On-site assistance is available to help investigators get the most out of their own systems. Image analysis and specialized Photoshop training, creative imaging for journal covers, and guidance on digital imaging ethics help to round out the services available from the facility.