Overview:
The aim of the Histology & Imaging Core (HIC) is to provide scientific researchers start-to-end services and expertise from tissue processing/fixation, histochemical, chromogenic and immunofluorescence staining; to imaging live, fixed, unlabeled or fluorescently labeled samples using state-of-art equipment.
Core services and technology:
The HIC services include training on all equipment, technical assistance, and guidance on experimental design. To avail the services of the HIC core, the interested researchers must submit the project details to the core facility lead. Once the project details have been reviewed by the core it will be forwarded to TRI management for scoring and approval
- Leica Benchtop Automated Tissue Processor
Automated benchtop tissue processor for fixation of tissue samples into paraffin blocks
- Leica CM 1950 Cryostat
The Leica CM 1950 cryostat provides high quality sectioning of frozen tissue samples. It has the capability of UVC disinfection and a state-of-art waste removal and filter system to protect the laboratory environment.
- Leica RM2255 Rotary Microtome
Automated and manual for microtomy of paraffin-embedded tissue samples.
- A1Rsi Nikon eclipse Ti confocal microscope:
Confocal microscope equipped with a 405 diode, Argon laser (457, 488, 514), 561 and 634 lasers, inverted stand, 2.5x to 100x objectives, a motorized XYZ scanning stage, galvano and resonant (high speed) scanner, four spectral detectors and spectrally tunable emission bands.
Suitable applications include co-localization studies, immunofluorescence, live cell imaging studies, FRAP, FRET, time lapse and spectral unmixing.
- Olympus IX51 epifluorescence inverted microscope:
Inverted microscope system is optimized for simple and quick imaging of labeled and unlabeled fixed or live samples
Filter blocks available for broad spectral detection of green and red fluorescence
Inverted fixed stage, 10x to 100x objectives
Cell Sens Software
- Zeiss Axio Imager M2:
The Zeiss Axio Imager M2 is an upright, fully motorized, high performance research microscope capable of brightfield and multi-channel fluorescence imaging. The system has a motorized stage and can be used to acquire tiled and 3D images. The microscope is fitted with an AxioCam 712 12-megapixel color camera capable of producing high quality images. The Zeiss Zen software can be used to control the microscope and allows for multi-dimensional data acquisition, such as multi-fluorescent images, Z-stacks, and time lapse microscopy
Colibri 7 system - 8 LEDs to cover the complete standard spectrum from UV to dark red. Illumination intensity can ab adjusted depending on the sensitivity of the sample. The narrow-band illumination reduces cross-stimulation, increasing the sensitivity of images and no UV leakage or bleaching encountered with filter-based systems and conventional white light sources like HBOs.
Zen software for image acquisition and analyses
4x, 20x, 40x, 63x (oil), 100x (oil) 100x objectives (dry, oil)
Motorized stage for reproducible setting and automated procedures
- HybEZ™ II Oven
The HybEZ™ II Oven is a benchtop hybridization oven that provides superior conditions for RNA-In-Situ-Hybridization. The HIC offers a range of RNAscope™ markers to determine spatio-temporal expression for genes of interest at mRNA level.
Team and contact details:
Majid Alam, PhD (Head, HIC Facility)
Contact details
+974 40258212, Mob: +974 66594297
malam22@hamad.qa
Hamad Medical City, Building 320, TRI, Doha
Collaborating Institutes:
Dermatology Institute, NCCCR, Neuroscience Institute
Select Publications:
- Alam M & Oláh A et al. Mitochondrial energy metabolism is negatively regulated by cannabinoid receptor 1 in intact human epidermis (Experimental Dermatology 2020).
- Alam M et al. Growth hormone operates as a novel regulator of human hair growth ex vivo (J Invest Dermatology 2019)
- Alam M et al. Neurokinin 1 Receptors Antagonists for pruritus (Drugs 2021)
- Alam M et al. Intravital visualization of the dynamic changes in human hair follicle cycling (British Journal of Dermatology 2018)
- Chéret J, Bertolini M, Ponce L, Tsai T, Alam M et al. Olfactory receptor OR2AT4 regulates human hair growth (Nature Communications 2018)
