# Advanced Microscopy Facility

> **NIH NIH P30** · UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA · 2020 · $62,961

## Abstract

ADVANCED MICROSCOPY FACILITY – PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT 
The Advanced Microscopy Facility (AMF) is a matrix Cancer Center shared resource, which operates under 
the auspices of the Office of Research Core Administration, a department within the University of Virginia 
(UVA) School of Medicine (SOM). Since the first Cancer Center Support Grant to UVA in 1987, the AMF has 
provided Cancer Center investigators with unique access to instrumentation and services for visualization of 
biological processes and structures. As microscopy has become an indispensable and near universal tool for 
biomedical research, access to cutting edge microscopy equipment at the AMF has allowed Cancer Center 
members to make important discoveries regarding the cause, spread, and treatment of cancer. 
The AMF's primary mission is to serve the imaging needs and enable the exceptional cancer research at the 
University of Virginia. The specific aims are to house and provide affordable access to state-of-the-art 
microscopy instrumentation and high-quality imaging services, empower Cancer Center investigators in the 
practice and science of imaging, and built a nexus for collaboration among the AMF users. 
The facility, which is both a full-service and a user-facility, has been expanded from primarily an electron 
microscopy center to now encompass a full range of light and electron microscopy technologies. The SOM has 
continued to support the AMF and since the last CCSG review and has made substantial investment (~$7 
million) to establish the cryo-microscopy services. The institutional support and funds from NIH shared 
instrumentation grants have allowed the AMF to acquire an impressive array of state-of-the-art microscopes, 
including three confocal microscopes with super-resolution or two-photon imaging capabilities, and a 300 kV 
Titan Krios transmission electron microscope equipped with a direct electron detector, available at only a 
handful North American institutions. Providing Cancer Center members with access to electron cryo- 
microscopy services is a major advancement of the AMF's capabilities. The facility was rated “outstanding” in 
the last review. The AMF staff have worked to further enhance the capabilities of the shared resource to 
provide exceptional services to Cancer Center researchers.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9854909
- **Project number:** 5P30CA044579-29
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Thomas P. Loughran
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $62,961
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9854909

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9854909, Advanced Microscopy Facility (5P30CA044579-29). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9854909. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*