Print This PageAdvanced Cell and Molecular Imaging
Advanced Cell and Molecular Imaging tools at PNNL
- Combined CARS and Two-Photon Confocal Microscope
- Combined Confocal and Magnetic Resonance Microscope
- Combined Atomic Force and Optical Microscope
- High-Speed Multispectral Confocal Microscope
- FRET for Single-Molecule Imaging
- TIRF for Single-Molecule Imaging
- Scanning Acoustic Microscope
- Electron Microscope Suite
Applying Capabilities to Research
Scientists at PNNL apply our Advanced Cell and Molecular Imaging capabilities to a variety of research projects. New capabilities are created through Laboratory Research and Development.- Analysis of Protein Function in Living Cells Project
- Cell Transforming Bystander Signals
- High-Throughput Screening of Protein Localization Project
- Intercellular and Intracellular Communication in the Human Mammary Gland
- Mechanisms of Three-Dimensional Intercellular Signaling in Mammary Epithelial Cells in Response to Low Dose, Low Linear Energy Transfer (LET) Radiation: Implications for the Radiation-Induced Bystander Effect Project
- Mechanisms of Regulated Ligand Shedding Project
- Noninvasive Biofilm Characterization Using Acoustic Microscopy Project
- Regulation of Cell Surface Ligand Dynamics Project
Most analytical techniques in biology provide information on populations of cells. However, to fully understand and model the behavior of biological systems, processes must be understood at the level of individual cells. Imaging technologies offer a powerful approach for observing and quantifying biochemical processes in living cells and bridge the gap between system and molecular-level studies.
To fully understand the behavior of biological systems, researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed a wide range of imaging technologies to probe biochemical processes using both living and fixed cells. Our advanced instrumentation produces images at a wide variety of scales, revealing information from the macroscopic to the molecular level. Traditional microscopes analyze samples using a single imaging modality, usually with a single wavelength of light. We are building advanced instruments that combine the capabilities of multiple instruments, allowing different dimensions of information to be gathered simultaneously. We are also developing advanced algorithms to extract quantitative data from multispectral images.
Advances in microscopy require not only the development of more sensitive and specific instruments, but also the creation of software to operate the instruments and manage the large amounts of data they can generate. Scientists at PNNL are currently building the data infrastructure for storage, access, processing, and analysis of imaging data with the goal of turning advanced cell imaging into routine laboratory techniques.
