# Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging

> **NIH NIH P30** · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $221,426

## Abstract

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR CELLULAR IMAGING (WUCCI) SHARED RESOURCE:
PROJECT SUMMARY
Elucidating the mechanisms involved in the development and progression of cancer requires a deep
understanding of how changes in tissue / cellular structure relate to loss of function. Imaging technologies have
evolved rapidly over the last decade, generating vast improvements in resolution, sensitivity, and speed, and
creating fundamentally new opportunities for studying biological processes across many orders of magnitude in
real-time in living cells and organisms. The Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging (WUCCI) provides
(i) reliable and affordable access to cutting-edge light and electron microscopy instrumentation, (ii) expert
guidance in imaging assay design, specimen preparation, image acquisition and analysis, (iii) educational
opportunities in the form of hands-on trainings, lunch and learn lectures, workshops and a monthly journal club
and (iv) novel imaging and analysis methodologies. As a new Cancer Center Support Grant (CCSG) shared
resource (SR), WUCCI will provide an integrated approach to investigate the structure and dynamic behavior of
cells and tissues in cancer-related studies. By leveraging a significant institutional investment, SCC researchers
gain instant access to a wide variety of advanced cellular microscopy tools which will serve to accelerate the
pace, expand the scope, and improve the efficiency of their research. WUCCI services meet the unique
requirements of numerous investigators over a wide range of basic and translational research, as well as attract
new investigators into the cancer research arena. Importantly, users benefit from the in-depth technical expertise
of the Director (James Fitzpatrick) and technical staff with regard to experimental design and interpretation of
data. Over the past three years, WUCCI has worked with multiple SCC researchers to implement new imaging
assays. These have included the application of two-photon intravital microscopy to longitudinally track
disseminated tumor cells in a mouse model of dormancy (Sheila Stewart [MCBP]), the development of x-ray
contrast agents to delineate metastatic tumor boundaries in murine long bones (Katherine Weilbeacher
[BCRP]), and the application of focused ion beam-scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) serial block face
imaging to acquire three-dimensional volumes of mouse gastric tissue at the nanoscale (Jason Mills [MCBP]).
In 2018, WUCCI served 235 research laboratories, 75 of which were SCC investigators whose usage
represented ~20% of the overall SR consumption. Future plans for the next project period include the acquisition
of a light-sheet fluorescence microscope recently funded by the NIH S10 program for the high-speed volumetric
imaging of living organoids and cleared tissues, as well as the implementation of the Visiopharm Oncotopix
IHC and ISH image analysis platform. We anticipate that requests for WUCCI services will continue to gr...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10217014
- **Project number:** 5P30CA091842-20
- **Recipient organization:** WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** TIMOTHY J. EBERLEIN
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $221,426
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2001-08-02 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10217014

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10217014, Washington University Center for Cellular Imaging (5P30CA091842-20). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10217014. Licensed CC0.

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