P30 Center Core Grant for Vision Research

ABSTRACT Cellular Imaging Core A crucial focus of vision research laboratories at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is understanding ocular tissue physiology and pathophysiology at the cellular level. Every vision research laboratory on our campus requires the infrastructure and training necessary to label, image, and quantitatively analyze tissues at the cellular and subcellular levels. Furthermore, the competitiveness of our researchers requires that they incorporate new imaging modalities, analytical approaches, and hardware into their research programs. Training on and access to state-of-the-art cellular imaging modalities is expensive and necessitates shared core facilities to foster innovative new research approaches and collaborations, to sustain high productivity, and remain at the forefront of the field. The Cellular Imaging and Morphometric Analysis Core (CIC) currently supports vision research on 16 NEI-funded R01 grants, providing highly knowledgeable expert support along with the bright field, epifluorescence, stereomicroscopes and laser scanning confocal microscopes for image capture at the macro and micro levels. The highly sophisticated software packages provided by the CIC (Metamorph and Imaris) enable vision researchers to render and analyze images. The core provides access and high quality training for students, postdoctoral fellows, staff, and principal investigators on the use of CIC equipment and resources to greatly expand their investigative capabilities, develop creative new ideas, and promote collaborative interactions.