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Biological imaging

 

Coordinator of the Network
John Eriksson / tel. +358 2 333 8036 / john.eriksson (at) abo.fi
BioCity Turku, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University
Turku Bioimaging - Turku Centre for Biotechnology

 

Biological imaging ranges from the visualization of ions, molecules, cells and tissues to the non-invasive imaging of full size animals. The importance of imaging has grown tremendously since the development of methods and markers for live cell imaging, such as green fluorescent proteins confocal microscopy, as well as novel microscopic principles. Different in vivo imaging modalities such as computer tomography (CT), single photon emission computer tomography (SPECT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has given us tools to visualize structure, metabolism and function in a living body.

 

Modern imaging requires sophisticated instrumentation for data acquisition and methods of bioinformatics and data handling for their storage and analysis. The prerequisite for live cell imaging is that the equipment is near to the laboratories and animal centres. Therefore, each biocenter has confocal microscopes, video microscopes, and transmission electron microscopes for imaging of cells and tissues. However, in the National Imaging Infrastructure Network of Biocenter Finland (NIIN), different biocenters have been granted specific spearheaded tasks. Helsinki and Turku are focused on the recent developments of new imaging technologies including high-resolution STED, PALM and STORM microscopy as well as high content screening at cellular and molecular level. Turku Bioimaging hosts some of these most recent technologies and has a high-resolution optical imaging core service at the BF level.

 

High resolution electron cryo-microscopy, electron tomography and three-dimensional image reconstruction for nanoscale structures are available at the Institute of Biotechnology in the University of Helsinki. In vivo imaging facilities include instrumentation in PET in Turku, MRI in Kuopio and Helsinki, as well as optical methods in Helsinki and Turku.

 

Also University of Jyväskylä Imaging facility participates in the Biocenter Finland National Imaging Infrastructure Network activities.

 

Technology platform services

Electron microscopy (chair of consortium Eija Jokitalo, BI)

Institute of Biotechnology (BI)

Electron Microscopy Unit, Eija Jokitalo

- Electron tomography & data processing

- 3D Serial imaging on SEM
- Correlative light-electron microscopy

 

CryoEM Unit, Sarah Butcher

- CryoEM & cryotomography
- Hybrid approaches to structural biology
- Data processing

CryoEM Unit poster (pdf)

Biocenter Oulu

Tissue Imaging Center (TIC), Raija Sormunen

- Mouse phenotyping
- FIB-SEM

 

Light microscopy (chair of consortium John Eriksson, BioCity)

Biocentrum Helsinki
- Biomedicum Helsinki Imaging Unit, Elina Ikonen

 

Institute of Biotechnology
- Light Microscopy Unit, Maria Vartiainen & Kimmo Tanhuanpää

Biocenter Kuopio
- Biocenter Kuopio Biological Imaging Center (BIC), Michael Courtney

 

Biocenter Oulu
- Biocenter Oulu Tissue Imaging Center (TIC), Lauri Eklund

 

Institute of Biomedical Technology - IBT Tampere
- IBT imaging facility

 

BioCity Turku
- Cell Imaging Core (Turku Bioimaging), John Eriksson

 

University of Jyväskylä Imaging facility participates in the Biocenter Finland National Imaging Infrastructure Network activities

 

In vivo imaging (chair of consortium Olli Gröhn, BCK)

MRI
Biocentrum Helsinki
- Biomedicum Helsinki Imaging Unit, Turgut Tatlisumak

Biocenter Kuopio
- Biomedical Imaging Unit and National Bio-NMR facility, Olli Gröhn

 

PET
BioCity Turku
- Turku PET Centre and Cell Imaging Core (Turku Bioimaging), Juhani Knuuti and Cecilia Sahlgren

 

Real-Time Imaging (RTI) Unit

Biocentrum Helsinki

- Small animal molecular imaging: RTI unit, Kim Bergström

 

Events