The Department of Pediatrics Small Animal Bioimaging Core Facility is located in a 230 square foot dedicated space located in the Basic Science Building. This core provides quantitative fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging services for the in-vivo and in-vitro study of small animals and specimens. The tracking of cell populations in vivo, as in animal models, is essential for sophisticated studies, especially stem cell and cancer biology research. The fate and differentiation of cells derived from transplanted stem cells, for instance, can be non-invasively followed in-vivo using bioluminescent or fluorescent tags monitored by a camera. The facility’s dedicated imaging instrument is the Xenogen In-vivo Imaging System (IVIS) SPECTRUM ™ from Caliper Life Sciences which is a in-vivo biophotonic imaging technology to facilitate exploration of gene expression, cell trafficking, pathogens and tumors or disease progression in living animals. It possesses multimodal imaging which provides both quantitative bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging for up to 4 mice or 2 medium rats. It can also accommodate petri dishes or microtiter plates for in-vitro imaging. This system includes a highly sensitive CCD camera, light-tight imaging chamber and complete automation and analysis capabilities. It also includes premium handling equipment such as a heated stage, gas anesthesia connections and ECG monitoring. High resolution, 21 sharp cut-off filters are interchangeable to achieve the highest performance, sensitivity and spectral un-mixing in fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging. In addition, the instrument performs 3D diffuse tomography to determine the geometry and depth or intensity of fluorescence. It includes Living Image 3.1 software to yield reproducible quantitative results. Applications are diverse and are not limited to: oncology research, infectious disease, inflammation, metabolic disease, neurology, gene therapy, cardiovascular disease, immunology and transplantation biology, toxicology and drug metabolism studies.
Investigators who would like to request services from the facility should contact mitchell_cairo@nymc.edu and janet_ayello@nymc.edu. The PI and Department or Division/Fiscal Officer of the investigator program will be required to sign a request form. These core services are provided based on the order of the signed service form received. Once the animal protocol approval and NYMC account approval is verified, you will be notified by email for assigned date(s) and time(s).
$110 per hour session
Mitchell S. Cairo, M.D., Core Director
Chief, Pediatric Hematology, Oncology & Stem Cell Transplantation
Director, Children's & Adolescent Cancer and Blood Disease Center
Medical and Scientific Director, Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory
Associate Chairman, Department of Pediatrics
Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology and Cell Biology & Anatomy
Maria Fareri Children's Hospital at Westchester Medical Center
New York Medical College
19 Skyline Drive 1N-D13
Tel: 914-594-3650
FAX: 914-594-3803
Email: mitchell_cairo@nymc.edu
Janet Ayello, MS, MLS (ASCP)
Manager, Pediatric Cancer Research Laboratory
New York Medical College
Manager, Cell and Tissue Engineering Laboratory
Westchester Medical Center
100 Woods Rd
Taylor Pavilion - Rm E326
Valhalla, NY 10595
Tel: 914-493-1671
Fax: 914-493-6948
Email: janet_ayello@nymc.edu