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Digital Imaging & Morphometrics Facility

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The Department of Veterinary Pathobiology has acquired and assembled a fully functional core facility for computer-based acquisition of images, their editing and analysis, and production of high quality hardcopy and film-based output. Three principal components are available:

  1) Image Acquisition and Analysis Lab
  2) BioTek "TechMate 500" Robotic Immuno-/In Situ Hybridization Staining System
  3) Gel Documention and Digital Imaging Lab

These core assets are supervised by John B. Roths (jroths@cvm.tamu.edu); 1-979-862-1871. He will provide interested Department faculty and staff with instruction on using the hardware and software and assist in experimental design, as needed.

1) Image Acquisition and Morphometric Analysis Lab.

Located in Room 322B, Veterinary Research Building, the primary purpose of this facility is to enable the acquisition of microscopic (and conventional) images for editing, archiving, densitometric and morphometric analysis, and production of appropriate "hardcopy" documentation. Key components include:

  • Olympus Vanox (AHBS3) Photomicrographic Research Microscope fitted with the following accessories: Xenon-based epi-fluorescence illuminator, Nomarski Differential Interference Contrast, and polarization filters. The Vanox has two 35mm camera backs, for conventional photomicroscopy.
  • Olympus SZH Zoom Stereo Microscope.
  • Sony DXC-960MD 3-chip CCD Color Video Camera. This camera can be "migrated" between the Vanox and SZH Stereomicroscopes. Thus, high quality color images ranging from micrometer to centimeter ranges in size can be "acquired".
  • Video display and printing. Video images can be directed from the Sony 3-CCD camera to a 19" Sony 1943MD color monitor and single or multi-image (2-16) "plates" can be printed on a Sony UP-7100MD Color Video Printer, an 8.5" x 11" printer with 163 dpi resolution and 24-bit color capability.
  • Power Macintosh 8100/80AV Computer. This high-end Power Macintosh is equipped with 32 MB of RAM, a 500 MB Hard   Drive and an internal CD-ROM Drive. 4 MB of Video RAM supports 16-bit color images on a 20" color monitor. On board hardware includes: An S-video and audio capture board (for generation of "Quicktime movies", for example; a Scion LG-3 Frame Grabber; and a Scion TV-3 output board. The LG-3 board permits the digitization of the R,G,B, and Luminence signals sent from the Sony 3-CCD camera. The TV-3 board permits output of grayscale images to the video components described above.
  • A 650 MB Magneto-Optical Cartridge Drive is used for image file "backups". The key licensed image-oriented software installed includes: "NIH-Image, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Aldus Fetch, Aldus Digital Darkroom, Kodak PhotoEnhancer, and the NCSA Image software suite. Graphic, statistics, and optical character recognition (OCR) software includes Kaleidagraph, Statview and Omnipage Pro, respectively. Word Processing, spreadsheet and presentation applications uses the Microsoft Office suite of programs.
  • Flatbed Scanner. An Epson 800C 24-bit color scanner capable of both incident and transmitted image acquistion is available.
  • Output Devices. In addition to a high quality laser printer (600 dpi Apple Laserwriter Select 360), the facility includes a Fargo Primera Pro (24-bit color, 600 dpi, postscript-capable) combination thermal wax and photorealistic dye-sublimation printer. Additionally, images can be "printed" to standard 35mm color slide or print film using a Polaroid Digital Palette 5000 color film recorder.
  • Additional input and editing devices include: A VideoLabs "FlexCam Pro" S-video camera with audio capabilities, used for acquisition of "real time, motion-based images"; a Kodak DC-40, 24-bit color Digital Camera, and a Wacom UD-1212 graphics tablet with both "puck" and pressure-sensitive stylus for image manipulation and measurement.

2) BioTek TechMate 500 robotic Immuno- and In Situ Hybridization Staining System.

Located in Lab 322 of the Veterinary Research Building. This computer-controlled robotic stainer permits within-run, and different-run consistency in the staining of sectioned tissue. This is a critical prerequisite for later densitometric analysis of digitized images (see above) stained with immunospecific, DNA/RNA probe specific, or specialized histochemical reagents. The key features and components of this sytem include:

  • A 32-place immunostainer with robotic slide carrier.
  • Based on "capillary-gap" staining protocols using special "ChemMate" slides.
  • A "DNA oven" for in-situ hybridization. Capable of denaturing and annealing 30 pairs of capillary-gap slides.
  • A microwave oven for pretreatment (antigen-retrieval protocols, for example) of slide-mounted tissue sections.
  • A dedicated 486-based Pc computer capable of controlling up to 5 independent protocols. New protocols can be written and saved on disk for subsequent experiments.

3) Gel Documentation and Digital Imaging Labs.

This component primarily supports those VTPB investigators needing to document one-dimensional electrophoretic gels/blots such as DNA gels, protein gels, and autoradiographs. Two identical systems are available: One is located in Room 318A of the Veterinary Research (VMR) Building; the other is located in Room 220 of the VMA building. The on-site supervisors for these systems are: John Roths (VMR), 862-1871 and Dr. Pat Holman (VMA), 845-4275. An orientation session is required before issuance of a "user account" and password. Briefly, these Alpha-Innotech (IS-500) systems include:

  • A 486DX2 computer
  • A SVGA 800 x 600 color monitor
  • A Hyper HAD CCD camera (designed for low-light level imaging)
  • A dual-light transilluminator (visible and UV)
  • Dual epi-illumination (fluorescence side lights)
  • An 8-bit grayscale thermal printer
  • Software for image acquisition and enhancement.

These systems were purchased in part to replace the use of polaroid-based gel documentation. The high quality thermal paper prints produced with this system are estimated to cost only 6-10 cents per print (as opposed to nearly $1.00 per Polaroid print). Moreover, the IS-500 system is capable of saving both Pc- and Mac-compatible TIFF images for follow-up editing, analysis, and printing. A Polaroid MP-4 gel photography system is also available in VMR, Room 318A.