Lawrence Carin, PhD, Duke’s Vice President for Research, and Greg Eppink, Leica Microsystems Americas, pose with a special glass plaque created for the new Leica Microsystems Center for Excellence at the Light Microscopy Core Facility/ Duke Cancer Institute Light Microscopy Shared Resource. The plaque now graces the entrance to room 377, Nanaline Duke building. (photo by Colin Huth)
Duke and Leica Microsystems Establish Center of Excellence in Microscopy
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From the Duke Cancer Institute archives. Content may be out of date.
Duke University and Leica Microsystems, Inc., have formally established a Leica Microsystems Center of Excellence at the Duke University Light Microscopy Core Facility/Duke Cancer Institute Light Microscopy Shared Resource.
The collaboration was made official at a signing ceremony on Wednesday, Feb. 19, between Lawrence Carin, Ph.D., Duke’s Vice President for Research, and Greg Eppink, Leica Microsystems Americas General Manager of Microscopy, followed by a ribbon-cutting.
The center supports a mission to drive new discoveries and insights from scientific research performed using three new Leica imaging systems — the stimulated emission depletion (STED) super-resolution microscope, the Deep in vivo Explorer (DIVE) multiphoton imaging microscope, and the Leica SP8 confocal. This technology allows researchers to capture images and digital movies of the cellular and molecular processes of life.
“A scientist’s insight is only as good as their tools,” said Carin. “We’re very pleased to have this microscopy center on campus to help our investigators see ever deeper into the mysteries of life.”
Advancing Cancer Science
Director of the Light Microscopy Core Facility, Lisa Cameron, Ph.D., and the microscopy specialists Yasheng Gao, Ph.D., and Benjamin Carlson, Ph.D., who run the day-to-day operations of the core.
Colin S. Duckett, Ph.D., Vice Dean for Basic Science at the Duke School of Medicine, emphasized Duke’s commitment to supporting basic biomedical research.
“The fact that our biologists at Duke have the latest-breaking most cutting-edge equipment is obviously a win for us,” he said, addressing the faculty in attendance. “Our job is to lower the barriers so that you can do some fantastic science.”
Leica will support routine maintenance and upgrades of its imaging systems, while the LMCF will give Leica important feedback on functionality and workflow.
“It’s very exciting to be able to advance into the future of scientific research in collaboration with a top-tier institution like Duke,” said Eppink. “With this agreement, we’re enabling researchers to push beyond the boundaries of what can be visualized and quantified. We look forward to continuing this alliance for years to come.”
Carin recognized the “incredible effort” by LMCF director, Lisa Cameron, PhD, in building this new collaboration and lauded her work running the LMCF since August 2016.
“The Light Microscopy Core is one of the most heavily used cores at Duke, fundamental to research across the university,” remarked Carin. “Your leadership is greatly appreciated.”
Partnership
Christopher Counter, Ph.D., chair of the Duke Cancer Institute Shared Resource Oversight Committee and professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology (facing front), chats with fellow DCI member Scott Soderling, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Cell Biology, at the celebratory reception. (photo by Colin Huth)
The LMCF was initially formed from several departmental microscope resources in the Levine Science Research Center. The Department of Biology and the Department of Pharmacology & Cancer Biology teamed up, along with the then Comprehensive Cancer Center's Confocal Microscopy Shared Resource, to hire a director in 2006 to establish and run a cooperative microscope facility for the two departments.
The facility received substantial funding from the Office of the Provost and the Dean of the Medical School in 2007 to purchase new equipment and become a resource for the entire Duke community. The facility remains a Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) Shared Resource.
Cameron thanked the university, DCI, and the School of Medicine for their investment in the continuous expansion of the LMCF and its technologies. She also expressed her appreciation for biologist Daniel P. Kiehart, Ph.D., and cancer biologist and DCI member Daniel Julio Lew, Ph.D., who’ve been LMCF advisors since the facility’s founding and for microscopy specialists Yasheng Gao, Ph.D., and Benjamin Carlson, Ph.D., who’ve been running the day-to-day operations of the facility for years.
Cameron also gave a shout-out to Scott Soderling, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Cell Biology and a member of DCI and the Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, for his department’s support in hosting the main LMCF location, Nanaline Duke building.
During a celebratory reception following the ceremony, Cameron, Gao, and Carlson gave informal tours of the new Leica imaging systems to a couple dozen Duke researchers and Duke and Leica officials.
The new Leica imaging systems are housed on campus in room 377 of the Nanaline Duke Building and in room 4229 of the Medical Science Research Building III.
“Leica Microsystems will serve as an excellent partner to help push forward the technology to perform advanced light microscopy imaging on a range of samples that are part of the research going on at Duke University, Duke Cancer Institute (DCI), and the Duke School of Medicine,” said Cameron.
As a centrally funded shared resource, the LMCF’s aim is to offer affordable and efficient access to standard and advanced imaging instrumentation for users of all levels of experience and from any discipline across Duke University and the Duke Medical Center campuses. The LMCF can help with live cells, fixed samples, model organisms, small animals, single-molecule imaging, or at most points in between.
The LMCF houses more than 22 microscope systems and nine image analysis workstations — including Leica, Andor Technologies, Carl Zeiss Imaging, Olympus, General Electric, Hamamatsu, and Molecular Devices — across the core’s four campus locations.
Duke Cancer Institute kicked off its first signature fundraising event with a powerful show of support for cancer research, innovation, and patient care. Duke Rides, held on October 3 in Wilson Gym, united more than 1,100 donors, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters in a shared mission to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.Duke-blue strobe lights and high-energy music like Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” and Britney Spears “Hit Me Baby One More Time” kept everyone energized while they took turns cycling on stationary bikes. During rider changes, cancer survivors told their stories, with members of their care teams at their sides.“Raising more than $675k in our first year is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD, physician vice president of cancer services, Duke University Health System.“What makes this event so special is the way it brings together the entire Duke community—our patients and families, physicians, nurses, researchers, staff, students, alumni, and friends. We are united by a shared commitment to beating cancer and being part of something bigger than any one of us,” said Reidy-Lagunes."We have wanted a signature event for many years," said Debbie Taylor, assistant vice president, Duke Cancer Institute and Duke Children’s Development. "But we don't have a big events team, which makes getting something like this off the ground incredibly difficult. We are so grateful for the colleagues and donors who stepped up and helped us turn an idea into a reality."Among the event’s top fundraisers was a team led by Tony and Teddie Brown, which raised an impressive $233, 859.For Tony Brown, supporting Duke Rides is deeply personal. A Professor of the Practice Emeritus in Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy, where he taught for 28 years, Brown has experienced firsthand the impact of exceptional care. His treatment under Hope Uronis, MD, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist, and his broader care team inspired him to help ensure that other patients receive the same support.“The care I’ve received from Dr. Uronis and my entire team has been remarkable,” Brown said. “The combination of competence, compassion, and collaboration has meant more to me than words can express,” said Brown.Lenny Santoro, another survivor, echoed that sentiment. "I'm here today because of the excellent care that I received more than eight years ago for my prostate cancer. And because of three clinical trials that Dr. Dan George and Duke gave me the opportunity to join," he said.Other top fundraising teams included the Duke Alumni for Cancer Survival and those supporting the following disease groups: pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, genitourinary cancers (prostate and urologic), and pediatric cancers.The funds raised will provide much needed support for research aimed at improving treatment options and outcomes for cancer patients."Next time," said Taylor, "our goal is to raise over a million."
Duke Cancer Institute kicked off its first signature fundraising event with a powerful show of support for cancer research, innovation, and patient care. Duke Rides, held on October 3 in Wilson Gym, united more than 1,100 donors, sponsors, volunteers, and supporters in a shared mission to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.Duke-blue strobe lights and high-energy music like Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” and Britney Spears “Hit Me Baby One More Time” kept everyone energized while they took turns cycling on stationary bikes. During rider changes, cancer survivors told their stories, with members of their care teams at their sides.“Raising more than $675k in our first year is nothing short of extraordinary,” said Diane Reidy-Lagunes, MD, physician vice president of cancer services, Duke University Health System.“What makes this event so special is the way it brings together the entire Duke community—our patients and families, physicians, nurses, researchers, staff, students, alumni, and friends. We are united by a shared commitment to beating cancer and being part of something bigger than any one of us,” said Reidy-Lagunes."We have wanted a signature event for many years," said Debbie Taylor, assistant vice president, Duke Cancer Institute and Duke Children’s Development. "But we don't have a big events team, which makes getting something like this off the ground incredibly difficult. We are so grateful for the colleagues and donors who stepped up and helped us turn an idea into a reality."Among the event’s top fundraisers was a team led by Tony and Teddie Brown, which raised an impressive $233, 859.For Tony Brown, supporting Duke Rides is deeply personal. A Professor of the Practice Emeritus in Duke’s Sanford School of Public Policy, where he taught for 28 years, Brown has experienced firsthand the impact of exceptional care. His treatment under Hope Uronis, MD, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist, and his broader care team inspired him to help ensure that other patients receive the same support.“The care I’ve received from Dr. Uronis and my entire team has been remarkable,” Brown said. “The combination of competence, compassion, and collaboration has meant more to me than words can express,” said Brown.Lenny Santoro, another survivor, echoed that sentiment. "I'm here today because of the excellent care that I received more than eight years ago for my prostate cancer. And because of three clinical trials that Dr. Dan George and Duke gave me the opportunity to join," he said.Other top fundraising teams included the Duke Alumni for Cancer Survival and those supporting the following disease groups: pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, genitourinary cancers (prostate and urologic), and pediatric cancers.The funds raised will provide much needed support for research aimed at improving treatment options and outcomes for cancer patients."Next time," said Taylor, "our goal is to raise over a million."
