AIMRC Offers New Confocal Raman Microscope Resource

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AIMRC Confocal Raman Microscope

The Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (AIMRC), an NIH-funded Center for Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), is pleased to announce that they have added confocal Raman microscopy capabilities on our campus. The microscope has been installed within the AIMRC research core facility in the Institute for Nanoscience and Engineering and is ready for use by investigators at the U of A.

The acquisition of this equipment was made possible through external support from a $200,502 NIH COBRE grant supplement to the AIMRC. 

The confocal Raman microscope is managed by the AIMRC Imaging and Spectroscopy Core under the leadership of the core director, Narasimhan Rajaram. Raman scattering is an extremely low probability scattering event that is sensitive to the vibrational levels within molecules and involves changes in both the direction and energy of the incident light photons. Raman scattering is exquisitely specific to molecular structure and conformation, making it an attractive tool to characterize electronic substrates, nanomaterials and biological tissue.

The confocal Raman microscope combines the 3D resolving power of confocal microscopy with the specificity of Raman scattering to provide high-resolution maps of molecular composition. The microscope consists of three high-powered objectives and four different gratings that allow high-resolution imaging from 0 to 3500 cm-1, covering both the fingerprint Raman region and the high wavenumber region, where signals from lipids and water dominate. Three laser lines — 532, 638 and 785 nm — are available to serve the needs of the materials science and biomedical research communities. The shorter wavelengths of 532 and 638 nm provide the opportunity for higher resolution and greater Raman scattering signal and are ideal for the optical characterization of semiconductors and electronic substrates, while the 785 nm laser line is ideal for reducing the contribution of fluorescence in biological samples. A motorized platform and automated imaging software provide the ability to automate imaging of entire samples.  

"This microscope is an excellent addition to the AIMRC and is ideally placed to serve the needs of investigators working in the areas of biological sciences, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, physics and materials science," said Kyle Quinn, director of the AIMRC. "We expect that the confocal Raman microscope will be of great benefit not only to the university, but also to our small business community growing from university-based innovations." 

The confocal Raman microscope is available as a fee-for-use instrument, using a recharge model ensuring no profit or loss. In addition to confocal Raman microscopy, the AIMRC Imaging and Spectroscopy Core offers a variety of resources to investigators, including fluorescence confocal microscopy, two-photon excited fluorescence microscopy, second harmonic generation microscopy, coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy and an assortment of diffuse optical spectroscopy resources. For training and usage questions, please contact Narasimhan Rajaram, director of the Metabolic Imaging and Spectroscopy Core. 

About the AIMRC: The AIMRC is focused on understanding the role of cell and tissue metabolism in disease and health through research involving advanced imaging, bioenergetics and data science. The AIMRC brings together over 20 faculty studying a range of biomedical applications from the College of Engineering, Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education and Health Professions and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  Metabolic research support is provided through funding opportunities, faculty mentorship, grant writing support and access to state-of-the-art research facilities. For more information on the AIMRC, please visit aimrc.uark.edu.