St. Jude Family of Websites
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St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Home
St. Jude Family of Websites
Explore our cutting edge research, world-class patient care, career opportunities and more.
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Home
A fully staffed microscopy core facility available to all St. Jude researchers
The Cell and Tissue Imaging Center is a fully staffed microscopy core facility available to all St. Jude researchers. Its mission is to provide offers access to a broad spectrum of sophisticated technologies for light microscopy, electron microscopy and image analysis. Expert professional staff are on hand to assist throughout the experimental process up to the point of publication. As well as operating instruments, helping with sample preparation, and performing analyses, staff can help select the best imaging strategies to answer specific research questions. In-depth training is also offered. The Light Microscopy and Electron Microscopy divisions within the center collaborate on correlated imaging for projects that require individual samples to be imaged using both techniques. Costs are heavily subsidized by the institution to speed discovery.
Researchers at other institutions may have similar instrumentation, but they don’t have access to a backbone of imaging scientists. We can take that cutting edge science and make it a bit cooler, and hopefully, get more data at a faster pace.
Aaron Pitre, Sr. Scientist
The goal of CTIC-LM is to drive and accelerate the use of advanced imaging technologies at St. Jude. CTIC-LM is staffed by PhD level imaging scientists who have years of specialized training in optics and microscopy. Due to the minimal recharge requirements, instrument rates are low, and staff have time to contribute intellectually to many projects. In the most recent quarter, CTIC-LM has engaged 85 users from 39 labs for 175 hour of instrument usage per week. It has been acknowledged for intellectual contribution on 16 peer-reviewed publications in the past year.
Available technologies
Instrumentation
The CTIC-EM is a highly specialized resource offering full service for routine and advanced (immunolabeling, large area, and 3D imaging) electron microscopy techniques, individual consultations on project set-up, optimization, and initiation and guidance on image analysis as requested and in conjunction with the Center for Bioimage Informatics. The CTIC-EM facility collaborates with 15-20 labs at St. Jude on an annual basis and delivers ultrastructural imaging on 900 to 1000 samples each year. On average, the CTIC-EM is acknowledged on 30 peer-reviewed publications annually. Thanks to strong institutional support, CTIC-EM provides equitable access to advanced imaging equipment to all faculty at low cost, regardless of rank or experience.
Instrumentation and available technologies
Director, Research Operations – CITC-LM
aaron.taylor@stjude.org
Director, Research Operations – CITC-EM
Cam.robinson@stjude.org