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Advanced Imaging Core

Photo of Ronald S. (Ron) Petralia, Ph.D.

Ronald S. (Ron) Petralia, Ph.D., Staff Scientist

NIDCD/NIH
Building 50, Room 4142
50 South Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-8027
Phone: (301) 496-3804
Fax: (301) 480-0126, E-mail: petralia@nidcd.nih.gov

Dr. Petralia received a B.S. from University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1975, and a Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 1979, and has been a practicing electron microscopist for 35 years. He practiced light and electron microscopic immunocytochemistry at the NIDCD, in the laboratory of Dr. Robert J. Wenthold (deceased) from 1991-2009, prior to establishing the Advanced Imaging Core.

Staff

Photo of Ya-Xian Wang, M.D., Biologist

Ya-Xian Wang, M.D., Biologist

301-496-3805 (wangyx@nidcd.nih.gov)
Dr. Wang earned an M.D. from Harbin Medical University, P.R. China in 1977, then was Doctor-in-Charge in Ophthalmology/Eye Surgery in Heilongjiang Provincial Hospital in Harbin until she came to the United States. She worked in the laboratory of Dr. Robert J. Wenthold from 1993-2009 on electron microscopy immunocytochemistry and primary neuron cell culture. 

Mission

The Advanced Imaging Core (AIC) offers investigators specialized centralized core laboratory support services. The primary goal of the AIC is to support the research interests and ongoing projects of various NIDCD laboratories within the Division of Intramural Research (DIR).  The AIC provides the resources necessary to assist in the proper performance of a variety of specialized experiments and in the interpretation of obtained data. The AIC provides specific expertise, new technologies, and resources to enhance the research efforts of all NIDCD investigators. The team specializes in transmission electron microscope (TEM) studies of immunocytochemistry and ultrastructure, but also does confocal and other light microscope (LM) analyses for correlative LM/EM studies.

Cell biological studies, including physiology, genetics, immunocytochemistry, etc., always consider what happens at the molecular level. Transmission electron microscopy allows scientists to come closer than ever to studying cell composition at the molecular level. The AIC’s TEM specialists offer training and related assistance to principal investigators at the NIDCD, and contribute to collaborative studies with scientists at the NIDCD, NIH, and beyond.

Tissue preparation
Tissue preparation with freeze-substitution

Freeze-substitution, ultramicrotomy
Ultramicrotomy

Electron microscopy
Electron microscopy

Selected Publications

NIDCD research papers published since 2010

Selected research papers from outside collaborations, published since 2010