OU Vision Core Facilities

Instrumentation and technical assistance provided by the Live Animal Imaging and Functional Analysis Module are used by nearly every vision researcher on the OUHSC campus. This Module is one of the most active and labor-intensive modules, as nearly all animals of all vision researchers (4000-5000 research animals consisting of rodents, rabbits, and chicks) are analyzed by imaging and functional analysis equipment located in this Module. The Modules contain instrumentation similar to that used in the ophthalmology clinic for patient care, so the findings of analyses of vision disorders in animal models can be translated to human disease.

The LAI Module has two locations on the OUHSC campus, one at DMEI and one at the Biomedical Sciences Building across campus. Each location is in close proximity to vision research labs and the housing facilities which contain vision research animals. Each location contains a complement of the following instruments used in analyzing vision in small animal models: Diagnosys Electroretinography Systems, Bioptigen SD Optical Coherence Tomography, Optomotry, Microns III and IV with slit lamp and laser attachments, Zeiss operating microscopes with MindStream imaging, various support and portable vision analysis equipment, and environmental housing, including dark adaptation, dark rearing, light damage housing, and oxygen and humidity chamber housing.

The Director of this Module is Dr. Raju Rajala and the Systems Manager of this Module is Dr. Feng Li.

LAI Module Website (scheduling requires Google Calendar access)

Fee Schedule (as of July 1, 2022). Fees are subject to change as Recharge Center is instituted.

The Cellular Imaging Module is located in the ground level of the research facility at DMEI. The facility was expanded in March 2013 with the addition of the Olympus MVX10, a macroview-fluorescence microscope system, and the Olympus FV1200 confocal system.  This Olympus Imaging Suite for Macro to Confocal Imaging is the result of a successful submission of a supplement by Dr. Robert E. Anderson in May 2012.  The new confocal system prepares us for the eventual phase out of the FV500 confocal system when replacement parts become even more scarce and unavailable.  The FV1200 is equipped with all solid state laser diodes which are stable, long lasting, and energy efficient.  The stage is designed to accommodate an environmental chamber for live cell/tissue imaging.  It is also outfitted with the ultra-sensitive GaAsP detectors for low signal imaging.  The MVX10 system is equipped with a fully motorized stage and the CellSens software for creating stack images and large montages using the multiple image alignment function of the software.  Users can create bright-field and fluorescence images of up to 20X objective equivalent resolution images of flat mount tissues such as retinas and corneas. Also housed in this module is a Leica cryostat for sectioning, Nikon E400 and E800 microscopes, and review stations for Fluoview and Metamorph applications.

The Director of this Module is Dr. Michael Elliott, Department of Ophthalmology. 

New users of the Histology Services must first contact Dr. Elliott and must provide fee payment CFS information before sending samples to the core.

New users of the microscopy equipment (training and/or usage) must first contact Dr. Elliott and must provide fee payment CFS information before access to the Google Calendar scheduler will be granted.

Fee Schedule (as of September 1, 2020). Fees are subject to change as Recharge Centers are revised.

*External Users are defined as users who pay for Core services with non-OUHSC funds, mandated as established in https://financialservices.ouhsc.edu/Departments/Auxiliary-and-Service-Unit-Accounting/Recharge-Centers . Please contact Dr. Elliott or Dr. Callegan with any questions about the new fee schedule.

For researchers who use complex genetically modified mouse models, genotyping is the most tedious and time-consuming process and has zero error tolerance. The Genotyping Module provides fast, accurate, and convenient genotyping service to the mouse research community in the OUHSC campus.  This service is based on conventional PCR and gel electrophoresis methods, and we achieve technical efficiency through our streamlined operation and quality control. The OUHSC vision research labs involve a broad range of transgenic and mutant mouse and chick strains, and fast, accurate genotyping is critical to the analysis and interpretation of the data generated. The Genotyping Module is located on the ground floor laboratories at DMEI.

Please note that this module is now under the purview of the Live Animal Imaging and Analysis Core, directed by Dr. Raju Rajala. The Systems Manager of this Module is Ms. Fatemeh Shariati.

Vision research requires the identification and quantification of cell types and their effector molecules to investigate the mechanisms of visual development and degeneration, the pathogenesis of blinding infection and inflammation, and the efficacy of vision-saving therapeutics. The new Ocular Immunobiology Core (OIC) at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center is responsible for providing vision researchers with state-of-the-art instrumentation for examining single cells involved in vision models of development, degeneration, infection, and inflammation at the cellular and molecular levels. This Core supports vision research on 16 NEI-funded R01 grants and other vision-related projects at OUHSC, and is located in the Dean McGee Eye Institute. We anticipate more than 40 ocular disease models to be analyzed by the Cytek Aurora full-spectrum flow cytometer and BioPlex 200 Multiplex Suspension Array. Our Systems Analyst is highly skilled in training personnel, assisting with experiments and data analysis, and maintaining core equipment to a quality standard. As such, the OIC provides instrumentation and expertise that is at the forefront of flow cytometry. Importantly, we plan to continue to expand this core to remain ahead of the curve allowing vision researchers to continue to be competitive and maintain a high quality of research. This novel and innovative Core is motivated and committed to providing an effective, efficient, user-friendly, and high-quality research environment for all vision researchers at OUHSC.

Dr. Yan Chen is the Director of the Ocular Immunobiology Core.