ALMC is a campuswide resource for light microscopy, immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization techniques. The instruments and equipment in the ALMC are available for all to use on a per-hour billing schedule. We encourage users to become proficient enough to use the instruments independently, so most users go through an initial training session. The length of the training session depends on the instrument, application and level of user experience; times below are estimates for basic training of an inexperienced user. In addition, we offer assisted use during which core staff will operate the instrument. All assisted use and training is $30/hour plus the base usage fee for the instrument.
The core also is open to academic and commercial users outside of the University of Missouri at different rate plans;. Please call 573-882-4895 for more information.
Leica TCP SP8 STED and MP
Confocal microscope with tunable white light laser (470-670 nm), fixed visible laser lines (405, 458, 476, 488, 496, 514 nm), Mai Tai DeepSee multiphoton laser tunable from 680-1060 nm, and STED super-resolution system with three depletion laser lines (592, 660, and 775).
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for regular confocal (tunable white light and fixed visible laser lines) | $38.00/hr |
| Initial training (~2 hr) or assisted use for regular confocal | $78.00/hr |
| Usage fee for the multiphoton laser and FLIM equipment | $40.00/hr |
| Training or assisted use for the multiphoton laser | $80.00/hr |
| Usage fee for the STED system | $38.00/hr |
| Training or assisted use for the STED system | $78.00/hr |
Leica TCP SP8 with digital light-sheet and diode lasers
Confocal microscope with fixed diode laser lines (405, 488, 552, and 638 nm) and digital light-sheet module with a Hamamatsu Orca-Flash4.0 Digital CMOS camera.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for regular confocal (diode lasers) or digital light-sheet module by trained clients | $32.00/hr |
| Initial training (~2 hr) or assisted use | $72.00/hr |
Andor Dragonfly 602
Spinning disc confocal microscope with fixed diode laser lines (405, 488, 552 and 640 nm) and with an Andor iXon 888 Life EMCCD camera and Sona-6 Extreme sCMOS camera. Equipped with an Okolab enclosure and stage incubator for environmental control and Mosaic 3 for targeted illumination techniques such as FRAP, optogenetics and uncaging. SRRF-Stream+ can improve resolution by 2-6 fold.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $32.00/hr |
| Initial training (~2 hr) or assisted use | $72.00/hr |
Leica GSD 3D
Wide-field super-resolution microscope with 405, 488, 560 and 642 nm lasers and Andor iXon Ultra 897 EMCCD camera.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $20.00/hr |
| Initial training (~2 hr) or assisted use | $60.00/hr |
Arcturus XT Laser Capture Microdissection System
An automated system for UV laser cutting (microdissection) and IR laser capture of tissue samples, mounted on a Nikon Eclipse TE2000 inverted microscope.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $20.00/hr |
| Initial training or assisted use | $60.00/hr |
Zeiss Axiovert 200M inverted microscope with color digital camera
Motorized stage and Z-drive, brightfield and differential interference contrast (DIC). Capable of slide scanning for tiling images into a composite image.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $5.00/hr |
| Initial training (~1 hr) or assisted use | $45.00/hr |
Zeiss Axiovert 200M inverted microscope with fluorescence and ORCA-ER camera
Motorized stage and Z-drive, brightfield and florescence. Capable of slide scanning for tiling images into a composite image.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $5.00/hr |
| Initial training (~1 hr) or assisted use | $45.00/hr |
Leica DM 5500B upright microscope with color digital camera
Versatile microscope capable of brightfield and DIC. Image acquisition performed with a high resolution Leica DFC290 color digital camera and user-friendly LAS software.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $5.00/hr |
| Initial training (~1 hr) or assisted use | $45.00/hr |
Leica M205 FA fully motorized stereomicroscope with z-drive
Equipped with transmitted, reflected and epifluorescence illumination sources. Images are acquired with the Leica DFC7000T color, high-sensitivity, cooled digital camera.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $3.00/hr |
| Initial training (~1 hr) or assisted use | $43.00/hr |
Leica DMI4000 B with integrated Eppendorf microinjection system
Inverted microscope with brightfield, epifluorescence and fully-automated DIC and phase-contrast. Image and movie capture with 1.4 megapixel 12-bit, cooled CCD camera from Q-Imaging.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $17.50/hr |
| Initial training (~30 min for microscope only) or assisted use | $57.50/hr |
Leica Thunder Stereomicroscopy System
The Thunder Imager Model Organism stereomicroscopy system enables fast and easy 3D exploration of whole model organisms and complex tissue cultures marked with fluorescent reporters.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $6.00/hr |
| Initial training (~1 hr) or assisted use | $46.00/hr |
Image processing
Huygens Professional, Metamorph, AutoQuant, Imaris, Fiji / ImageJ, Photoshop
High-end computer workstations available for image processing/analysis and figure preparation including deconvolution for blur reduction, 3D rendering, movies/animation and analytical software for image-based measurements and morphometry.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $5.00/hr |
| Initial training or assisted use | $45.00/hr |
| Deconvolution batch processing (after hours) | $10.00/evening |
Tissue sectioning
Leica CM3050 S cryostat microtome
A motorized instrument that can produce 0.5–300 µm-thick sections from fresh or fixed tissues.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $5.00/hr |
| Initial training (~2 hr) or assisted use | $45.00/hr |
| Blades | $3.50 ea |
Leica CM1950 cryostat microtome
An instrument that can generate 1–100 µm-thick sections from fresh or fixed tissues. Design features include sealed microtome and UVC light for effective cleaning and disinfection for BSL2 work.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $5.00/hr |
| Initial training (~2 hr) or assisted use | $45.00/hr |
| Blades | $3.50 ea |
Paraffin microtome
1-50 µm-thick paraffin-embedded sections
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base usage fee for trained clients | $2.00/hr |
| Initial training (duration depends on application) or assisted use | $42.00/hr |
| Blades | $3.00 ea |
| De-waxing paraffin sections on slides | Please call for pricing |
Ultramicrotome
Reichert Ultracut S generates 0.1-2.5 µm-thick plastic sections for light and electron microscopy
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Base fee for trained users | $6.00/hr |
| Initial training (duration depends on application) or assisted use | $46.00/hr |
| Use of LKB glass knife maker (glass strips included) | $11.50/strip |
| Use of Leica EM RAPID block trimmer | $3.00/block |
Sample Preparation
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Nunc 35 mm glass base imaging dishes (12 mm well), sterile | $7.75/dish |
| MatTek 35 mm glass base imaging dishes (20 mm well) | $6.40/dish |
| MOWIOL mounting medium (1.5 mL) | $2.00 |
| Cover slips-various sizes (#1.5 thickness) | $13.00/box |
| Glass Slides | $20.00/box |
| Superfrost Excell glass slides | $32.00/box |
| Loctite 404 Instant Adhesive | $32.00 |
Miscellaneous
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| 700 MB CD-R | $1.00 |
| 4.7 GB DVD+R | $1.00 |
| Consultation with Core staff: detailed discussion of experimental design/execution, and/or demonstration or assistance (first hour free) | $30.00 |
Supply center
ALMC has an on-site Supply Center stocked with a wide variety of fluorescent markers. In addition to our normal inventory, clients may special order anything from the Life Technologies catalog without shipping fees.