CGIDR Imaging Core

The Imaging Core located in the Center for Global Infectious Disease Research provides the tools for capturing and analyzing images which allows researchers to describe cell changes and function under varying conditions and to characterize individual molecules at both the cellular and biochemical level.

Imaging Core Equipment

  • GE Healthcare DeltaVision Elite microscope: This fully-automated, high resolution microscope system is capable of 3D live or fixed cell imaging in real time. It is equipped with DIC optics for acquiring visible light images and up to seven channels for imaging fluorescently labeled cells. This system includes multi-wavelength automated image capture for DAPI, FITC, TRITC, mCherry, CFP, YFP, and Cy-5 dyes. The SoftWorx software package comes with deconvolution capabilities and other image analysis features to create the highest quality images for publication.
  • Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscope: Our newest microscope is a true confocal point scanning system for fixed and live cell imaging. It is equipped with a White Light Laser (range from 440 nm up to 790 nm) as the excitation light source, an Acousto Optical Beam Splitter, and offers highly sensitive, prism-based spectral detection with computer-controlled adjustable bandwidth for all internal detection channels. The system includes a 405 nm laser and VIS laser excitation light sources, as well as 5 Power HyD® detectors which provide enhanced detection efficiency and photon counting. The Stellaris 8 allows researchers to select up to 8 single excitation wavelengths and separate at least 13 fluorophores in each experiment. The system includes a conventional and resonance scanner (Tandem) along with Dynamic Signal Enhancement and LIGHTNING software to deliver superb image quality at live-cell dynamic speeds and in super-resolution. Stellaris 8 comes with TauSense software that provides additional information for functional imaging (Tau-Contrast), removal of undesired signal contribution (Tau-gating) and enables separation of spectrally overlapping fluorophores with varying lifetime differences (ex: Alexa 555 and Alexa 594). Stage incubation system is included.
  • Nikon Eclipse E600 upright microscope: This scope has phase contrast optics and three filters for fluorescence imaging. It is equipped with both a high speed Cool Snap CCD camera used for fluorescence and phase contrast images, as well as a Qimaging true color camera used for chromatic staining in tissue samples. Metamorph analysis software is included.
  • IVIS Lumina II imaging system: This instrument from Caliper Life Sciences provides an expandable, sensitive imaging system for both fluorescent and bioluminescent imaging in vivo. The system includes a highly sensitive CCD camera, light-tight imaging chamber and complete automation and analysis capabilities.
  • Nikon Ti-E inverted microscope: This scope is a fully automated inverted microscope system equipped for phase contrast, DIC and fluorescence imaging. It houses 6 objective lenses, a high quality digital camera that can take both true color and monochrome images, and 4 filters for fluorescence (FITC, DAPI, Texas Red and Cy5). The system is equipped with an environmental chamber for control of temperature, CO2 and humidity in live cell imaging.  The motorized stage, motorized filter wheel and motorized objective wheel allows for automated scanning of plates, slides, and petri dishes. It operates with Nikon Elements 6D control/analysis software.
  • Other downstream image analysis software available includes Imaris 3D imaging software for data visualization, segmentation, analysis and interpretation of 3D and 4D microscopy datasets, and SVI Huygens software for deconvolution of 3D data sets from any of the above platforms.

Request Services and Equipment

Imaging Core equipment is available for Seattle Children’s researchers. For more information on pricing and scheduling contact cgidradmin@seattlechildrens.org.