Miriam Israelowitz with Prof. David L. Wilson (Dept. of Biomedical Engineering)

Cryo-Imaging of Stem Cells

Little is known about the pathway of genetically modified stem cells that are injected into mice for such research as cancer and gene therapy. However, tagging the cells through fluorescence labeling could allow observation of the stem cell pathways and development. The method of Cryo-Imaging was developed for the purpose of providing ultra-high resolution RGB and fluorescent imaging. Using Cryo-Imaging, the specimen chosen for examination is frozen, serially sectioned, and imaged using a mouse-sized cryomicrotome, a microscope, a low light camera, and three-axis robotic positioning system. This project would focus on construction 3-D images of fluorescent tagged cancer specimen using automation, visualization, and analysis software, and improving the fluorescence light capturing method of the camera system.