Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology Shared Facilities

The NSF Center for Biophotonics Science and Technology is located on the UC Davis Medical Center campus in Sacramento, California.  Construction of this 9,679 ft2 state of the art facility was completed in June 2005 and includes CBST’s central laboratories, administrative offices, meeting and seminar rooms, student/post-doctoral researcher offices, and student/faculty exchange.  The facility also has a dedicated teaching laboratory/classroom focused on the education of K-16 students and teachers, interdisciplinary researchers and industrial affiliates.  The details of each laboratory and its instrument capabilities are summarized in the descriptions below.

There are four main instrument laboratories: Non-Linear Microscopy Lab, Single Molecule Spectroscopy Lab, Advanced Imaging Spectroscopy Lab and an Instrument Development Lab.  Each of these labs are populated with state-of-the-art equipment to manipulate, section, hold, study and image biological samples and tissue samples in living animals at the cellular and sub-cellular levels. A summary of equipment in each of these labs follows:

    • Non-Linear Microscopy Lab:
      • Two-color Coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) ratiometric scanning microscope
      • Time gated Raman spectrometer (on-line → Fall 2010)
      • High power femto-second laser microscope
      • Multi-Photon Microscope
    • Single Molecule Spectroscopy Lab:
      • Time Correlated Single Photon Counting (TCSPC) microscope
      • Laser trap Raman spectroscopy system
      • Till photonics robotic microscope
      • Nipkow spinning disk confocal microscope
      • Fiber-probe Raman spectrometer
    • Advanced Imaging Spectroscopy Lab:
      • Structured Illumination Microscope (OMX) super-resolution microscope
      • Atomic Force Microscope
      • Delta Vision Deconvolution Microscope
    • Instrument Development Lab
      In order to help bridge the gap between early stage development of new photonic based devices and applications in biology and medical science, a prototyping laboratory will be available. This lab will consist of a fully functional laser lab including basic optical components.  The prototyping lab will be used for the design and implementation of biomedical instruments.  Currently, this space is being used for the development of an endoscope capable of fluorescence and white light imaging for the early diagnosis of bladder cancer in human patients.
    • Engineering Lab
      This space houses several machine and electronic tools, materials, and test equipment used for engineering photonic devices. Additionally, this space includes an electrical work bench area for the design, construction, and testing of prototype devices.
    • Biochemistry/Chemistry Lab
      The biochemistry/chemistry lab is fully equipped with the standard equipment used in the synthesis of biochemical products.  These capabilities include ample bench space, chemical hoods, and biosafety cabinets.
    • Tissue Culture Lab
      The tissue culture lab is fully equipped with the standard equipment used in the maintenance and manipulation of cell culture lines.  These capabilities include biosafety cabinets and incubators.  This lab will be connected to the freezer/storage room which is equipped with liquid nitrogen storage, ultralow temperature freezers, and standard refrigerator and freezer storage.
  • Educational Research
    This space is dedicated for the purposes of education and training, and is equipped with a suite of tools for the demonstration and hands on execution of simple instructional biophotonics experiments.  These instruments include: research grade microscopes with multiple imaging modes such as phase contrast, DIC, and fluorescence microscopy; various fiber-optic based spectrometers; basic molecular biology equipment; and data acquisition instrumentation. The space also has several computers for individual and group work, along with an image and video analysis and editing station.