The Erasmus Optical Imaging Centre (OIC) is an expert centre for advanced microscopy. Currently, the OIC explores more than twenty advanced fluorescence microscopes for life science research which are used by hundreds of researchers from the Erasmus MC and from outside.
Examples of imaging experiments include: live cell 3-D time lapse imaging (laser scanning confocal and lightsheet), imaging of fast protein kinetics by fluorescence bleaching after photobleaching (FRAP) and single molecule tracking (SMT) and imaging protein-protein interactions by fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM). Next to that, various super-resolution imaging techniques are available, such as structured illumination microscopy (SIM), stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy. Image analysis is an important part of microscopy based research. We use deep learning and artificial intelligence techniques, as well as pixel-based and object-based image segmentation.
One of our aims is to develop novel techniques for imaging and image analysis. We have several projects for BEP and MEP students. Next to the advanced microscopy techniques described above, you can also learn other techniques like cell culture and sample preparation methods as well as recombinant DNA techniques for making fluorescently tagged proteins.