WCVM Imaging Centre
Electron and light microscopy laboratory, open to all researchers on the University of Saskatchewan campus and beyond
About
The Western College of Veterinary Medicine (WCVM) Image Centre is located in a suite of rooms on the veterinary college’s second floor, with the main lab located in Room 2208.
We are a fee-for-service facility and provide electron and light microscopy services. The Image Centre has two dedicated technicians who maintain the scopes and work with researchers who are using this facility.
The centre's technicians can help you with the following:
- assist with your grant applications
- discuss the capabilities of the available equipment
- help you plan your sampling protocols to optimize your results
- fix your samples
- prepare your samples for the microscope
- help show you how to use the scopes to do your own work or to do the work for you
Equipment
Electron microscopes
- TEM, transmission electron microscope, with EDS capability (Hitachi HT7700)
- FE-SEM, field emission scanning electron microscope, with EDS capability (Hitachi SU8010)
Light microscopes
- TIRF, total internal reflection fluorescence microscope (Olympus IX83)
- Two confocal laser scanning microscopes
Virtual microscope
- Virtual slide scanning microscope (Olympus BX61VS)
IHC stainer
- Automated IHC stainer (Leica BOND-MAX)
- AutoQuant for deconvolution and quantitative image analyses
- Imaris for 3D rendering and quantitative image analyses
- cellSens for deconvolution and quantitative image analyses
- ImageJ/Fiji for various image analyses
Ultrasound imaging system
- Ultrasound imaging station (Visual Sonic Vevo 3100)
- Sputter Coater (Quorum Q150T ES)
- Ultramicrotomes (Leica Ultracut UCT and Reichert Ultracut E)
Plate reader and microscope
- Automated plate reader and microscope (BioTek Cytation 5).
- Click here to view information about the manufacturer's specifications
Fees
Fee schedule for members of USask community
Updated, August 1, 2022* | Fees are subject to change without notice
| TEM | $55 per hour |
| SEM | $55 per hour |
| TEM tissue processing from fixation to Epon or LR white embedding | $220 first, $32 each additional |
| Semithin sectioning and tol blue staining | $26 per block (for difficult samples, additional $70 per hour after 30 minutes) |
| Ultrathin sectioning including two grids | $36 per block (for difficult samples, additional $70 per hour after 30 minutes) |
| Extra ultrathins, sectioned at the same time | $3 per plain grid or $4 per formvar coated grid |
| Lifting paraffin sections to Epon blocks and cutting ultrathin sections | $120 per slide |
| Immunogold for TEM (single lebelling, up to 12 grids/run) | $140 per run |
| Grid staining with one dye | $43 per run including four grids. $5 each additional, up to six for LC, 12 for UA |
| Negative staining | $15 per grid |
| Particle prep for TEM | $12 per grid |
| SEM tissue processing including fixation, dehydration, and critical point drying or HMDS drying | $220 first, $32 each additional |
| Mounting samples for SEM | $60 per hour tech time plus $1 per sample for consumables |
| Leica confocal | $30 per hour |
| Olympus TIRF | $30 per hour |
| Setting up live-cell stage on Olympus | $30 per run |
| CO2 for live-cell imaging | $2 per hour for pure CO2, $5 per hour for pre-mixed CO2, up to $20 per day |
| Cytation 5 | $20 per hour |
| Cytation 5 software only | $7 per hour or contact the centre for extended usage |
| Sputter coating | $43 per run |
| Glow discharge | $30 per run |
| Carbon coating | $47 per run |
| Tech assistance or training (instrument time is charged separately) | $60 per hour |
*Note: Fees for external academic or not-for-profit organizations are 1.5 times the rate for USask community members. Fees for industry clients are 2.5 times the rate for USask community members.