Facilities

1736 - Histology Lab (BL2)

No imaging would be complete without comparing the imaging results to the "gold standard", which is histology. This laboratory facility is equipped with state of the art equipment for fixing and preparing our own tissue samples for histology, thus allowing us to perform direct comparison studies using histology as the gold standard of diagnostic medicine to confirm the features observed through our imaging modalities. 

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Cryostat
  • Microtome
  • Tissue processor
  • Paraffin embedder
  • Chemical fume hood
  • Automatic microscope slide stainer

3406 - Machine shop (BL1)

Grind... Thud... Blam...

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Saw
  • Drill
  • Soldering station

3412 - Center for Optical and Molecular Imaging (BL2)

This laboratory is dedicated to the development of novel optical imaging technology and applications, consisting of state-of-the-art nonlinear optical microscopy systems that are used for a wide variety of experiments.

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • OCT system utilizing a broadband titanium : sapphire laser source, operating at 800 nm wavelength. This system is capable of time-domain OCT, spectral domain OCT, and magneto-motive OCT (MM-OCT) imaging
  • Polarization-sensitive OCT system (PS-OCT) operating at 1300 nm wavelength
  • Nonlinear optical imaging techniques of CARS, SLAM, and FLIM
  • Incubator and Biosafety cabinet for cell culture

3508 - Nonlinear Optics Development Lab

Here, our lab members are working to innovate our SLAM microscopy methods. 

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • SLAM microscope

3510 - Nonlinear Microscopy Lab (BL2)

This laboratory facility exploits the advantages of nonlinear optical techniques for imaging cells and tissue. Various lasers are used to generate ultrashort optical pulses, which are shaped to enhance imaging of specific molecular features. 

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Original SLAM (Simultaneous Label-free Autofluorescence Multiharmonic) microscopy setup
  • FOCALS (Fast Optical Coherence microscopy, Autofluorescence Lifetime, and Second harmonic  generation) microscopy setup
  • Single-source optogenetics microscopy system
  • NanoLive 3D Cell Explorer
  • SPoOF (Super-fast Polarization sensitive Off-Axis Full-field) OCM (Optical Coherence Microscopy) setup
  • OPA (Optical Parametric Amplification) system
  • Multiphoton probes for in vivo imaging

3520A - Primary Care Imaging Suite (BL1)

This room is nicknamed the "Doctor's office of the future" since it contains new and innovate technologies for primary care physicians. Our group is designing cutting edge optical techniques and systems with the ultimate goal of integrating them into existing medical procedures and tests. This room was designed with a patient care suite in mind. It has equipment that a typical physicians office would have, as well as our portable advanced imaging systems.

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Heidelberg OCT system for ophthalmic imaging
  • Portable cart for imaging middle-ear infections using OCT
  • JenLab system with two-photon autofluorescence, second harmonic generation, and CARS
  • Pneumatic OCT
  • Bioptigen Handheld OCT
  • IntraOp Handheld OCT

3520B - Portable Optical Imaging Design Lab (BL1)

This is where our advanced OCT systems are developed and tested, as well as miniaturized into a cart. Several optics tables are housed here as well as a staging area for our portable systems.

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • 1300-nm Swept-source polarization-sensitive OCT setup
  • Briefcase OCT for portable and affordable imaging
  • Raman spectroscopy + OCT probe for imaging middle-ear infections

3524A - Bacterial Culture and Surgical Suite (BL2)

"This is where eukaryotes die and prokaryotes thrive."

This lab contains the surgical facilities for the mice and the setup for bacteria and biofilm cultures!

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Tabletop small animal surgery station
  • Biosafety cabinet for bacteria culture

3524B - Optical Coherence Microscopy Lab (BL2)

This room is a miscellaneous space with an optics table and a completely equipped cell-culture hood and incubator. This space is used for development of new OCM setups and for culturing neurons.

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Snapshot OCM for 3D full-field spectral-domain optical coherence microscopy
  • Steady OCM for ultrasensitive full-field imaging of sample dynamics
  • 1300-nm multipurpose OCT setup
  • BSC and incubators for neuron cultures

3628 - Dark room (BL2)

"Where light is shunned"

Our sensitive fluorescence microscopy setups are developed and tested in this room to avoid ambient photo noise.

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Fiber cleaver and splicer
  • Portable SLAM cart system
  • Stanford Photonics bioluminescence

3636 - Wet lab (BL2)

This Biosafety Level 2 (BL2) laboratory facility allows us to conduct studies on human and model specimens from our approved protocols as well as conduct collaborative work with institutions such as Carle Foundation Hospital, Provena Medical Center, the NIH Tissue Banks, and the UIUC School of Veterinary Medicine. This wet-chemical laboratory is also used for fabricating novel targeted contrast and therapeutic agents for imaging. Attached to this laboratory space is a separate, isolated BL2 room used exclusively for cell culture work. This laboratory space is managed by a full-time Biological Research Manager that oversees all biological aspects of the group research and space utilization.

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Zeiss inverted, fluorescent microscope
  • Microcentrifuge and ultracentrifuge
  • Micro-spectrometer
  • Chemical and reagent storage

3636A - Cell culture lab (BL2)

The cell culture room is used for - you guessed it - cell culture! We have two incubators and two biosafety cabinets , along with all the supplies needed to keep cells alive. We also have supplies to kill cells, if you're interested in apoptosis. 

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Two Biosafety cabinets, one 6' and one 4'
  • Microcentrifuge 
  • White-light microscope
  • Two incubators with 5% CO2

Office spaces

Our 4th floor office space consists of an open space with graduate student seating, post-doc and staff offices, a computer area, and a conference table. Once on the 4th floor of Beckman, exit the elevators, walk South towards the tower room, and then turn left. 

RESOURCES IN THIS LAB:
  • Computers
  • Printer
  • TV
  • Coffee and tea
  • Friendship