KARMITH Core Facility

Karolinska Microscopic Imaging in Thrombosis & Hemostasis - KARMITH Core Facility is located at BioClinicum, Karolinska University Hospital, Solna. The purpose of the KARMITH Core Facility is to provide imaging service using state of the art technology primary in the field of thrombosis and hemostasis and cardiovascular research but potential users from other research fields are also welcome upon agreement.

Equipment

1. Leica TCS SP8 confocal laser scanning microscope

The system was designed for confocal scanning (laser scanning images) of fluorescence-marked living and fixed specimens as well as for quantitative measurements in all areas of life science. Leica TCS SP8 offers highest sensitivity with super-resolution and multiphoton or light sheet imaging. It may be used to visualise microparticles released from different cells after activation and/or apoptosis. Investigation of microparticles is of interest in different atherothrombotic diseases but also in cancer and inflammation research.

Location: BioClinicum, floor 8, Cardiovascular research group

2. Nikon TI-E inverted microscope with live cell imaging

This imaging system can be used for short or long time-lapse imaging of 2D and 3D cell cultures. It is equipped with heat and CO2 controlled environmental chamber, allowing very advanced long-term automated high-throughput live imaging. Combinations of short periods fast time-lapse imaging with longer periods of slow time-lapse imaging enable the imaging of highly dynamical events in the single cell over short time and slow events over long-time periods.

Location: BioClinicum, floor 8, Cardiovascular research group

3. Nikon FN1 fluorescence microscope on Narishige stage

This equipment for intravital microscopy allows complex in-vivo procedures in mice and rats and imaging at the surgery site as well as in-vivo investigation of the hemostatic process (including different atherthrombosis models). This system can be easily used as core unit of in vivo vascular imaging and help many groups within KI working in the field of cardiovascular disease, thrombosis and vascular inflammation.

Location: BioMedicum

Using the facility

KARMITH will educate users how to best utilize services and equipment. Trained Core Facility staff will offer the necessary assistance in the formulation of scientific hypotheses, planning and execution of experiments, acquiring knowledge of methods and techniques. The KARMITH Core Facility will organise formal education in the forms of lecturing and courses.

Fee

Using of the KARMITH Core Facility will be free of charge for all users during the entire 2019. This was made possible thanks to the generous support provided by the Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery. During 2020 the fee will be based on external fundings or by support from research groups involved.

Contact

Core Facility Manager:

Apostolos Taxiarchis

Affiliated to research
Clinical Chemistry and Blood Coagulation
K1 Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery

Head of the KARMITH Core Facility:

Jovan Antovic

Professor/senior physician
Clinical Chemistry and Blood Coagulation
K1 Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery

Examples of confocal microscopy images

Human artery labelled with an actin marker (green) and with a protein localized in the nucleous in muscle cells (red).

Lilian Pagrot
20-10-2022