Institute for Animal Health is using laser microdissection for its studies into a broad range of pathogens that infect farm animals
The Institute for Animal Health is using a new Leica AS LMD laser microdissection instrument for its studies into a broad range of pathogens that infect farm animals and are threatening the UK economy.
These include the viruses that cause foot and mouth disease and classical swine fever, and bacteria such as salmonella and mycobacterium bovis, which causes bovine tuberculosis.
Penny Powell, group leader in the viral pathogenesis group in the Department of Immunology and Pathology at Pirbright, Surrey, explained: "We are using the Leica AS LMD to investigate host-pathogen interactions at the molecular level.
We hope to follow changes in gene expression in individual cells during disease pathogenesis.
The microscope allows us to remove individual cells from the tissues of infected animals or, in some cases, isolate larger sub-structures in a tissue, such as follicles of lymph nodes and perform further analysis.
This is a new area of research for us because it was not possible to dissect tissues at a microscopic level before we had the instrument." "We decided on the Leica system because we wanted to isolate single cells but we were also interested in high resolution microscopy and the use of immunofluorescence.
The Leica laser system is attached to an upright microscope with bright field and epifluorescence, enabling single cells to be identified and cut out with great accuracy.
For us, the important features which made Leica the best option were the ease of manipulation of the laser, good optical performance and data storage, combined with the ability to use it for a wide range of applications."
