University of Southampton

The Biomedical Imaging Unit provides facilities and research and diagnostic services in high quality and high resolution light and electron microscopy.

20-24 June 2011: Advanced light Microscopy Course

We are running our next Advanced Light Microscopy course from 20-24th June.

2 March 2011: new 405 nm laser installed in SP5 Confocal

The SP5 has just undergone a full service and the 405nm laser has been replaced so that DAPI can again be used as a nuclear counterstain if required. However, there are many better counterstains that we can recommend that are excited much more efficiently by our lasers.

31 January 2011: Dr Lizzie Angus

We are delighted to announce that Dr Lizzie Angus has joined the Unit as our new diagnostic electron microscopist. Lizzie studied genetics at Sheffield and studied for a PhD on "cell shedding in the intestine" at Liverpool before doing a post-doc at the Open University studying the enteric nervous system. Lizzie is based in LB72 and can be contacted on x4807.

The Biomedical Imaging Unit is a jointly funded facility of the University of Southampton and Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust located at Southampton General Hospital. We have an extensive user base across these institutions and also provide microscopy services for other research organisations, NHS Trusts and for industry.

Our equipment includes state-of-the-art transmission and scanning electron microscopes, laser scanning confocal microscopes, a virtual slide scanning system, live cell imaging facilities and general photomicroscopes.

We run formal training courses in transmission electron microscopy and advanced light microscopy that are accredited by the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) and provide 1-to-1 training for specific instruments, applications and analyses for facility users and support and advice on methodology and experimental design.

Our NHS diagnostic services for several NHS Trusts include TEM, SEM and X-ray microanalysis. We are also a national referral unit for the specialist diagnosis of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) through combined light and electron microscopy approaches.

We host occasional informal meetings and workshops on specific microscopy topics for local users that feature both internal and external speakers and we run an annual photomicrography competition for our users.

Our microscopes are used by several professional artists to inspire and create artworks.