Imaging/Microscopy

Cell Biology Microscopy Facility

This core provides access to advanced light microscopes for the Harvard Medical School research community, including a lattice light sheet microscope. 

Core Director - Jennifer Waters
Core Manager - Talley Lambert
Core Website - http://cbmf.hms.harvard.edu/

HMS imaging cores website: https://microscopy.hms.harvard.edu

Connectomics Core

The goal of the HMS Connectomics Core is to help researchers acquire, align, segment, proofread, and annotate large-scale maps of cell-cell interactions using volumetric electron microscopy (EM), genetically encoded cell-type-specific EM tags, trans-synaptic viral tracing, machine learning algorithms, and advanced statistical methods. Currently, we assist groups with analysis of existing large-scale electron microscopy datasets. This involves deployment of infrastructure, computer workstations, and software resources for connectomic data analysis.
 
Core Directors - Rachel Wilson and Wei-Chung Allen Lee

Conventional Electron Microscopy Facility

The EM facility at Harvard Medical School is a fee-for-service core facility for transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The aim of the facility is to make the electron microscopes and relevant techniques such as sample preparation, sectioning and immunogold labeling easily accessible to all researchers.

Core Director - Maria Ericsson
Core Website - http://electron-microscopy.hms.harvard.edu/

Core for Imaging Technology & Education (CITE)

CITE (formerly the NIC) is a core light microscopy facility offering a wide range of light microscopes, including laser scanning confocal, spinning disk confocal, TIRF, super-resolution, FRAP/photoactivation, light sheet microscopy and more. All researchers are trained to use the equipment; no prior imaging experience is necessary. CITE also offers an extensive educational program, including hands-on workshops for theoretical and practical training on light microscopy techniques.

Core Director - Jennifer Waters
Core Website - http://nic.med.harvard.edu/

HMS imaging cores website: https://microscopy.hms.harvard.edu

CryoEM Center

The Harvard Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center for Structural Biology is a joint effort by Harvard Medical School, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital to provide state-of-the-art cryo-EM instrumentation and expertise for the Harvard structural biology community. This user facility offers consultation and training by staff in specimen preparation, microscope operation, image acquisition, and data analysis. The facility houses two Mark IV Vitrobots for sample preparation and two Titan Krios electron microscopes with BioQuantum energy filters and a Talos Arctica electron microscope, all equipped with Gatan K3 direct electron detectors and Volta phase plates.

Contact email:cryoem@crystal.harvard.edu
Website: https://cryoem.hms.harvard.edu/

Drosophila RNAi Screening Center

The mission of the DRSC is to develop and optimize new molecular genetic technologies for use in vivo in Drosophila (TRiP technologies), as well as for use in Drosophila, mosquito, and other insect cell lines (DRSC technologies). In addition, we provide access to information, protocols, data and a suite of online tools via our website, and develop research resources such as new fly stocks and modified insect cell lines. We also have state-of-the-art facilities for in vivo Drosophila genetics and insect tissue culture, and provide support for small- and large-scale insect cell screening projects using RNAi or CRISPR-Cas technologies.

Core Director - Stephanie Mohr
Core Website - http://fgr.hms.harvard.edu/

HMS imaging cores website: https://microscopy.hms.harvard.edu

Image Analysis Collaboratory

Image Analysis Collaboratory (IAC) specializes in the quantitative analysis of biomedical images—be that image restoration, object detection, segmentation, co-localization analysis, tracking, classification, or related matters. We apply and develop methods in classical bioimage analysis, deep learning, and spatial statistics—in-house or with the help of our friends and collaborators.

Core Website - https://iac.hms.harvard.edu/
Core Director - Simon F. Nørrelykke

ICCB-Longwood Screening Facility

The ICCB-Longwood Screening Facility assists investigators in conducting high-throughput screens of chemical and functional genomics libraries to identify new tools for biological research. The ICCB-Longwood compound collection is continuously growing. Over 500,000 compounds are currently available for screening, including > ~15,000 'known bioactive' compounds, many of which have been characterized in animal models or in the clinic. Multiple human and mouse whole-genome siRNA libraries, as well as miRNA mimic and inhibitor libraries, are available for RNAi screening. Arrayed, synthetic single-guide RNA libraries targeting the human draggable genome are available for CRISPR knock out screening. Laboratory automation equipment is also available for use by the community for non-screening projects. The facility employs a staff-assisted screening model.

Core Director - Jennifer Smith
Core Assistant Director - Patricia Szajner
Core Website - http://iccb.med.harvard.edu/

Immune Imaging Core

The BL2+ Imaging Facility provides the infrastructure and expertise for In-Vivo imaging of host pathogen interactions in infected mice.

Core Director - Uli von Adrian
Core Website - https://immunology.hms.harvard.edu/resources/hms-immune-imaging

Microscopy Resources on the North Quad

The MicRoN (Microscopy Resources on the North Quad) offers dedicated expertise in imaging and experimental design in light microscopy as well as technical support and basic maintenance of our microscopes. It primarily serves Microbiology, Immunology and Genetics departments but it is open to other Quad Departments. Our core includes widefield, TIRF, single point scanning and spinning disk confocal, multiphoton and SIM-TIRF microscopes.

 

Core Director - Paula Montero-Llopis
Core Website - https://micron.hms.harvard.edu/

HMS imaging cores website: https://microscopy.hms.harvard.edu

Molecular Electron Microscopy Suite

The Molecular Electron Microscopy Suite (MEMS) at Harvard Medical School is a user resource currently available to all researchers in the HMS community. This core facility offers training and supervision in negative-stain and cryo-transmission electron microscopy. Equipment includes three transmission electron microscopes, two cryo plungers, and negative stain and cryo sample preparation areas. The Tecnai F20 is equipped with a Gatan K2 Summit direct electron detector. 

Contact email: cryoem@crystal.harvard.edu
Website: https://cryoem.hms.harvard.edu/

Neurobiology Imaging Facility

The facility offers a wide-range of optical imaging equipment, technical and analytical support as well as full service imaging, tissue clearing and In Situ. The imaging equipment includes whole slide scanning, live cell imaging, confocal, lightsheet and super-resolution (STORM & STED) as well as basic brightfield and widefield microscopes. The facility also offers array tomography, a newly developed imaging technique that offers multiplex, ultra-high resolution volumetric imaging with depth-independent immunofluorescent staining. 

Core Directors - Michelle Ocana and Aurelien Begue
Core Website - https://nif.hms.harvard.edu/
Services Website - https://ppms.us/hms-neuroimaging/
HMS imaging cores website: https://microscopy.hms.harvard.edu