LRBGE Optical Microscopy Core

Core Mission

The LRBGE Optical Microscopy Core (OMC) is open to everyone within the NCI, as well as collaborating investigators from other NIH Institutes. The highly competent OMC staff, trained in biophysics, physics, engineering, and cell biology, offers expert technical support in design, execution, troubleshooting, interpretation, and publication of experiments, and, if requested, full-scale collaboration. OMC Core is unique and distinct in providing cutting-edge unique equipment (custom HILO and rare MINFLUX), specific knowledge, and capacity to adopt and customize the techniques for the high-end biophysical and nano-resolution projects. LRBGE OMC specializes in intracellular molecular mapping (micro-compartmentalization of macromolecules) and biophysical quantification of the intracellular dynamics of macromolecules involved in fundamental processes like transcription, translation, and membrane transport. These cutting-edge methods provide new information about the mechanisms of intracellular regulation and are indispensable for modern and future research of the NIH. The OMC maintains, adapts, develops, and provides access to state-of-the-art molecular mapping and tracking analysis tools that provide varying levels of analytical support to PIs with different levels of biophysical knowledge. Lastly, the OMC provides support in conventional quantitative microscopy techniques, including the multi-channel fluorescence imaging of fixed cells and tissue sections, FRET by acceptor photobleaching, time lapse imaging of cells in 2D or 3D, and computational removal of out-of-focus light (deconvolution).