Services: Service Alliance

Electron Microscopy | EPL Archives | Digital Whole Slide Scanning/Analysis Automation

Electron Microscopy

In 1995, EPL formed a strategic alliance with the Laboratory for Advanced Electron and Light Optical Methods (LAELOM) at the College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University.  This alliance has proven to be an unbeatable combination of technical and professional expertise.

The LAELOM, a fully GLP compliant laboratory, is located in the College of Veterinary Medicine at North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC.  The LAELOM is a service lab for the vet school, the main campus and local industry which maintains a technical staff and offers services and expertise in transmission and scanning electron microscopy, as well as fluorescence and light microscopy.

The LAELOM houses all the necessary support equipment for preparing samples for electron microscopy.  In addition, the LAELOM has a full suite of light microscopy and confocal microscopy equipment.  A cryostat is also available for producing frozen sections for light microscopy and equipment is available for the cutting ultrathin frozen sections for immunolabeling.

The LAELOM has technical expertise working with:

• Macromolecules (DNA, proteins)
• Viruses
• Bacteria (free-living and in biofilms)
• Fungi
• Protozoa
• Cell Cultures
• Metazoan Tissues (insects, crustaceans, mammals, reptiles, birds, fish, etc.)
• Textile Polymers
• Plastic Films from electrical storage cells
• Artificial Joint Materials
• Artificial Cell Matrices
• Immunolabeling of ultrathin frozen and plastic-embedded sections
• Nanoparticles
• Quantum dots

The LAELOM staff is available for assistance in the selection of fixation protocols, appropriate molecular probes (lectins, immunolabels, cytochemistry, quantum dots), and can provide instruction or advice concerning proper preparation of biological samples for evaluation.

Additionally, the LAELOM provides educational services along with extensive consultation services to help investigators determine appropriate methods to approach their particular problems.

People

Dr. Michael Dykstra, the LAELOM Director, has over 40 years of experience in ultrastructural research, as well as consultation in technical methods, budgeting, SOP preparation and equipment selection.  Dr. Dykstra has worked with the pharmaceutical industry for over 20 years.  The laboratory staff consists of biologists who have experience with molecular biology, morphometry, electron microscopy and photography.

Examples

Examples of images produced in the LAELOM can be found at www.cvm.ncsu.edu/research/laelom.  In addition, various techniques and informational handouts are available on that website.

Contact:

EPL, Inc.
PO Box 169
Sterling, VA 20167-0169
Tel: 703.471.7060
Fax: 703.471.8447
Contact: info@epl-inc.com