Description of the RI

Euro-BioImaging (EuBI) is the European landmark distributed research infrastructure for biological (microscopy) and medical/preclinical imaging as recognised by the ESFRI. Life scientists from academia and industry can access instruments, expertise, training and data management services at 25 internationally renowned facilities (Nodes), located in 14 countries and the EMBL. Hungary participates with 2 ratified Nodes: Cellular Imaging Hungary, and Medical and Preclinical Imaging Hungary.

The Hungarian Nodes consist of several sub-Nodes (see National Partners), which specialize in complementary methods.

The importance of imaging methods in biomedical research is growing, which has been marked by 3 Nobel Prizes in the last 20 years. These methods have undergone explosive development in recent decades in terms of resolution (super-resolution techniques, single molecule microscopy), volume of data collection (e.g., high-throughput microscopy), or data processing (e.g., the application of deep learning algorithms). No laboratory can keep pace with development on its own, which requires a division of labor.

Activities and Services

Most important techniques available at the Cellular Imaging Hungary Node:

• Electron Microscopy (EM)
• Correlative Light Electron Microscopy (CLEM)
• Fluorescence (cross)correlation spectroscopy (FCS, FCCS)
• Fluorescence-lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM)
• Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)
• Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP)
• Laser scanning confocal microscopy (CLSM)
• High-throughput microscopy (HTM)
• Multiphoton microscopy systems (MMS)
• Spinning disc confocal microscopy systems (SDCM)
• Selective plane illumination microscopy (SPIM)
• Stimulated emission depletion microscopy (STED)
• Stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM)
• Total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRF)
• Optical tweezers
• Phosphor Imager SI for quantitative autoradiologic measurements
• LEICA CM3600 cryomacrotome for quantitative autoradiologic measurements
• Positron Emission Tomography, MiniPET for quantitative in vivo imaging
• Microtomography (microCT)
• Positron emission tomography–magnetic resonance imaging (PET–MRI)
• Integrated single photon emission computed tomography and computed tomography (SPECT/CT)
• NIKON intravital microscope with camera and image analysis software
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Pharmascan 4.7T MRI)
• Functional Ultrasound (fUS) – coupled to SPECT/CT
• Optical imaging (2D fluorescence)