Laser microdissection experts present interactive webcast on technology, applications

April 27, 2009

APRIL 27, 2009--Demonstrating how laser microdissection technology is helping to advance biomedical research--cancer and tumor microenvironment work in particular--the team from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Laser Capture Microdissection Core Facility will hold an interactive webcast on Tuesday, May 5. Laser microdissection was invented at the NIH; viewers will have the chance to hear from and ask questions of the engineer and pathologist engaged with it every day.

APRIL 27, 2009--Demonstrating how laser microdissection (LM; or laser capture microdissection, LCM) technology is helping to advance biomedical research the team from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Laser Capture Microdissection Core Facility will hold an interactive webcast on Tuesday, May 5 at 1:00 ET. The speakers will include examples of how the approach is enabling cancer and tumor microenvironment research.

Recently, the technique proved key to helping researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) discover genetic variations that may prove to be key predictors of risk for colon cancerand indicators of the cancer's progression.

A powerful tool, laser microdissection was invented at the NIH. It allows for the procurement of specific cell populations from tissue samples. The heterogeneous nature of tissue has proven to be the limiting factor in the amount of biological information that can be generated from tissue samples. LM provides the researcher with a means to isolate pure population of cells from heterogeneous tissue specimens.

These "captured" cells can then be used in a wide range of downstream assays such as LOH (loss of heterozygosity) studies, gene expression analysis at the mRNA level or in a wide range of proteomic assays such as 2D gel analysis, Western blotting, reverse phase protein array and SELDI protein profiling. Depending on the tissue sample preparation, biomolecules such as DNA, RNA and proteins can be extracted from the microdissected cells and then analyzed for molecular profiling studies.

Since the approach was developed by the multidisciplinary team at NIH that included pathologists, molecular researchers, engineers and physicists, the bio research market has witnessed variations in system design including types and uses of lasers, systems for sample collection, and digital image analysis that allows for a semi-automatic cell targeting and microdissection. In this live, interactive webcast presentation, Jeffrey Hanson, biomedical engineer, and Jaime Rodriguez, pathologist, will present general aspects on the design of laser microdissection systems and discuss application examples.

Jeffrey C. Hanson is Biologist/Biomedical Engineer, Laser Capture Microdissection Core Facility, Laboratory of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research / National Cancer Institute / National Institutes of Health. Jaime Rodriguez Canales is M.D., F.E.B.P. , Research Fellow, Laser Capture Microdissection Core Lab, Lab of Pathology, Center for Cancer Research / National Cancer Institute / National Institutes of Health.

For more information on the webcast or to register, please find details at the program's web page, New Directions in Laser Microdissection: Systems and Applications. The live presentation, running approzimately 1 hour, will take place on Tuesday, May 5 2009 at 1:00 pm ET (10:00 am PT), and will be recorded for review.

Posted by Barbara G. Goode, [email protected], for BioOptics World.