Microscopy services
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“We will be able to observe things in cells that we have never been able to see before.” Laurence Cantrill, Advanced Microscopy & Imaging Specialist. |
Microscopy is one of the core services provided by the Research Office at the Kids Research Institute.
What We Do
Over the past 20 years, there has been a large focus on molecular biology, resulting in significant breakthroughs in the understanding of the contribution of genes to medical conditions. Microscopy is now being harnessed in partnership with molecular biology to image the products of genes at work inside whole living cells.
In effect, molecular biology has given us the alphabet, the words, and the grammar rules for biology and microscopy is now helping us see the poetry in those words and allowing us to read the plot twists and turns of life as genes work with and against each other.
In acknowledgement of this key role of imaging, Microscopy is one of the core services at the Kids Research Institute (KRI).
Along with other research groups at Westmead, KRI researchers have access to a suite of microscopes and image analysis technology, providing them with a detailed, in-depth look inside cells, furthering our understanding of the cellular changes associated with various diseases.
The computer-generated images provided by the Imaging/Microscopy Facility advance medical research by opening new avenues for the treatment of childhood diseases and conditions, such as:
- Cancer
- Muscular Dystrophies
- Perinatal Virus Infections
- Kidney Disease
- Healing of Burns
- Metabolic Anomalies
- Heart Conditions
- Skeletal Disorders
Facility Functions
Under the guidance of , scientists at the KRI use a wide range of local light and fluorescence microscopes, and they also have access to electron microscopes through the Transmission Electron Microscope Core Facility located at Westmead Hospital. Collaboratively, KRI researchers are expanding the capacity of Microscopy Services, focusing development on:
- advanced fluorescence
- correlative microscopy
- electron tomography
Correlative microscopy brings together the strengths of both electron and light microscope methods, linking the dynamics of living cells as imaged under light microscopes with the subcellular and molecular detail provided by electron microscopes.
The images created through the use of these instruments, (including electron tomography and reconstructions of optically sectioned material) provide 3-dimensional images and models at the highest possible resolution, aiding ongoing research efforts into diseased cells and tissues.
Current Projects
The $1 million Correlative Light and Electron Microscope (CLEM) Suite is currently in the final stages of installation. The instruments will help bridge the gap between light and electron microscopy, enabling our researchers to make medical observations in greater detail and clarity than previously possible.
By connecting both light and electron microscopes via correlative techniques the CLEM Suite will allow direct workflow to occur between the two microscope types for the first time ever.
Major Achievements
The new CLEM suite is considered to be Microscopy’s biggest achievement to date under Dr Cantrill’s role as head of Microscopy. Starting in 2009, funding for the suite was obtained through donations and well-targeted grant applications that leveraged the international reputations of the researchers at KRI and the Westmead Research Hub.
Generous grants from the Cancer Institute NSW, the University of Sydney, the Perpetual Foundation, the Ian Potter Foundation, and the Ramaciotti Foundations, as well as a bequest from the Estate of the Late Valerie Street together exceeded initial funding estimates by raising over $1 million for the purchase of the suite.
Advanced Microscopy & Imaging Specialist (Light Microscopy)
- E:
T: +61 2 9845 3087
Prepared by: David Shi, 2011 Science Communications Intern
