Services

Intercaruncular uterine-placental interface of cattle on Day 40 of gestation.  Bright immunofluorescence staining identifies trophoblast giant cells expressing pregnancy associated glycoprotein, that mediate blastocyst attachment and support of placentation.  Tissues processed and imaged by Drs. Heewon Seo and Greg Johnson.

Training & Education

  • Instrument Training: All new Image Analysis Laboratory (IAL) users must receive training for each of the instruments they wish to use.
    • Advanced training and/or refresher courses are available for users with previous training.
  • A graduate microscopy course, VIBS 627—Optical Microscopy and Live Cell Imaging, covers theory and hands-on training on major instruments.
    • The course is offered during the spring and some fall semesters.
  • Microscopy workshops can be scheduled for lab groups by appointment.

Consulting & Advice

  • To ensure optimal microscopy results, IAL staff are available to discuss your imaging needs, including:
    • sample preparation,
    • reagent purchases,
    • troubleshooting,
    • image processing, and
    • image analysis.
  • All information is treated confidentially.
  • Please include the core name and RRID in the acknowledgment section for publications containing data or analysis generated in the facility.
    • For example: “The authors acknowledge the assistance of the Image Analysis Laboratory, Texas A&M Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. RRID: SCR_022479″

Collaboration

  • IAL staff can provide active involvement in research projects and contribute intellectual and practical input towards the imaging aspects of research projects, applications development, etc.
  • Staff can assist with
    • image acquisition,
    • data analysis,
    • participate in laboratory meetings as needed, and
    • contribute to manuscript and grant applications.

Host Microscope Demonstrations

  • If your laboratory is interested in testing a piece of imaging equipment supplied by a vendor, it may be easier and more convenient if the IAL hosts the demonstration.

Help with Lab Equipment

  • If you need help with your lab microscope, we might be able to assist (e.g., replacement of bulbs, cleaning, alignment, training a laboratory manager on how to maintain and achieve the theoretical limit of resolution for each application needed).
  • Depending on the time commitment, we may charge a technical assistance fee for doing this.

Scheduling Lab Equipment