BULGARIA

Sofia BioImaging Node - Advanced Light Microscopy Node Sofia Bulgaria

The Sofia BioImaging Node is a multimodal single-sited Node, located at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Bulgarian Academy of Science, in Sofia. The Bulgarian Center for Advanced Microscopy at IMB-BAS is included in the National Roadmap for Scientific Infrastructure and as part of Euro-BioImaging provides open user access to a range of state-of-the-art technologies in biological and biomedical imaging for life scientists. With a specific focus on fast and high-resolution live-cell imaging and laser-based disruptions of cells and their components, the Node provides outstanding expertise in the application of Spinning Disk microscope systems and the use of UV laser micro-irradiation and FRAP to study protein dynamics and DNA repair. For more information see http://dnarepair.bas.bg/eurobioimaging.bg/site/.

Specialties and expertise of the Node

The research focus of the Node environment is on the molecular and cellular biology of DNA replication, repair, transcription, and chromatin dynamics. This research focus is complemented by applied research topics, such as biomedical pharmacology and drug design.

In the area of DNA repair, the Node has developed outstanding applications, combining live-cell recordings using spinning-disk microscopes with laser ablation to induce DNA damage or ablate other cell components. Combining this technology specialty with a large library of GFP-tagged proteins which are involved in DNA repair, and are expressed under their natural regulatory sequences, allows the recording of ultra-fast protein dynamics and interactions. The Sofia BioImaging Node offers unique expertise in screening substances for their impact on DNA repair, a topic of fundamental interest for cancer research.

The Node also has expertise in the development of dedicated image analysis and data visualisation software, with the CellTool software and the DNArepairK Database.

Offered Technologies:

ISIDORe is a Horizon Europe funded project that brings together 154 partners from 32 countries around the world, and is designed to effectively support research on infectious diseases and increase preparedness for pandemic.

Additional services offered by the Node

• Instruments
• Technical assistance to run instrument
• Methodological setup (e.g. design of study protocol and standard operation procedures)
• Probe preparation
• Cell culture facilities
• Wet lab space
• Server Space
• Data processing and analysis
• Training workstations
• Training seminar room
• Biological material storage and processing
• Data processing and analysis
• Instrument highlights

Instrument highlights

Andor Revolution XD spinning disc confocal microscope system equipped with Borealis and with Nikon TiE Inverted Microscope stand. Image acquisition by two iXon3 897 EMCCD cameras. The microscope system is equipped with a FRAPPA unit for Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) and with Micropoint UV laser micro-irradiation device.  

Andor Dragonfly 500 spinning disk confocal microscope system for high-resolution live cell imaging, equipped with Nikon Ti2-E Inverted Microscope stand. Image acquisition by iXon 888 EMCCD camera and Zyla sCMOS camera. The microscope system is equipped with Mosaic III Duet photostimulation system and Micropoint  laser micro-irradiation device. Capable of SRRF-Stream, dSTORM, widefield, and TIRF imaging.

Zeiss Axiovert 200M motorized epifluorescence microscope with Apotome

Zeiss Axioimager A1

XenoWork micromanipulation and microinjection system. Advanced data analysis pipeline for live cell imaging data with in house built CellTool software

Contact details

Stoyno Stoynov
Node Contact
stoynov@bio21.bas.bg

http://dnarepair.bas.bg/eurobioimaging.bg/site/