The Advanced Imaging & Microscopy Resource is a trans-NIH shared resource that houses, operates, disseminates, and improves non-commercial, prototype optical imaging systems developed at the NIH. AIM also provides support for advanced image processing, including applications of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence. The facilities at AIM are available for use by the entire NIH intramural research community.
While we welcome users with any size imaging project, AIM specializes in large, year-long (or longer) collaborative research efforts with NIH labs – providing sample preparation, microscope operation and development, and data processing/analysis as needed. We take care of the imaging and processing so that you can focus on the biology.
| Microscope | Description | Spatial Resolution | Speed (frames/s) |
Photodose | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instant structured illumination microscope (ISIM) | Fast super-resolution | 140nm lateral 350nm axial |
100 | High | Live or fixed. Small, thin samples like cells, organoids. |
| Dual-view Inverted Selective Plane Illumination Microscope (DISPIM) | Fast, gentle, high resolution lightsheet for live samples | 330nm isotropic | 100 | Low | Live or fixed. Cells, up to medium size, transparent samples like organoids, C. elegans, zebrafish. |
| Cleared Tissue DISPIM | Fast multi-view lightsheet for large cleared tissue samples | 500nm isotropic | 100 | Low | Fixed and cleared. Up to 5mm thick slabs of tissue, up to 2cm x 3cm lateral size. |
| Single Molecule TIRF/Inclined Illumination Microscope | Variable inclination illumination single molecule imaging. Including STORM. | 20 nm lateral 50-60 nm axial |
100 | High | Live or fixed. Small, thin samples like cells. |
| Interferometric Photoactivated Localization Microscope (IPALM) | Localization microscope with unprecedented lateral and axial resolution. | 20 nm lateral 10nm axial |
Not suitable for live cells | High | Fixed and specially mounted. Small and thin samples like cells, bacteria. |
This table describes the spatial resolution, speed, and sample suitability of the five microscopes currently being operated by the Advanced Imaging and Microscopy (AIM) Resource.
Additional Lab Resource Information:
- Advanced Image Processing (NEW)
- Dualview Inverted Selective Plane Illumination Microscope (DISPIM)
- Instant Structured Illumination Microscope (ISIM)/ Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence SIM (TIRF-SIM)
- Interferometric Photoactivated Localization Microscope (IPALM)
- High throughput single molecule imaging microscope
- Single molecule TIRF/Inclined Illumination Microscope