Biomedical Image Processing Lab (BIPL) is a light microscopy, molecular biology and image analysis facility. BIPL houses two multi-photon, confocal microscope systems; two single photon confocal microscope systems; three microscopy/image analysis workstations; a TIRF (Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence) microscope system; a luciferase imaging system (Xenogen); a small animal fluorescent/brightfield stereo microscope; a phosphor/green fluorescence scanner for molecular biology samples; and a scanner/densitometer for ethidium bromide, gels, autorads, and blots. The microscopy systems include capacity to perform spectral scans, spectral deconvolution, FRET (Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer), FRAP (Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching), and SHG (Second Harmonic Generation). Live cell apparatus, including Bioptics and Harvard flow through systems, are available for in vivo studies. In cooperation with the Supercomputer Institute, 3D and 4D (time and depth) series can be generated, along with deconvolution to correct for z-elongation. Poster and high resolution photo printing is also done at BIPL.

The facility is staffed to provide one-on-one training on equipment, software applications, and in methodologies. This central core facility is administered under the Department of Neuroscience in the Medical School. It is open for access 24 hours a day once users are trained and is thus well-suited to promote sharing of instruments by investigators at the University of Minnesota. It is also set up to serve the needs of researchers in commerce.

BIPL operates under the direction of Jerry Sedgewick with two additional employees and several students. Hundreds of papers, including those published in Science, Nature and Cell have resulted from the use of equipment and methodologies developed at BIPL. Numerous exploratory experiments necessary for submissions of grants have also been spawned at BIPL. This lab has been used for independent studies to validate devices and to gain FDA approval by commercial interests. BIPL is receptive to new methods in science and to new directions in research.