Nikon Instruments (Melville, New York), University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) and the California Institute for Quantitative Biomedical Research (QB3) reported the opening of a collaborative core microscopy imaging center to promote education and innovation in microscopy imaging.

The new UCSF Nikon Imaging Center is equipped with the "latest technology for light microscopy imaging systems," Nikon said, and that "such a large collection of high-end microscopy technology is rarely available in a single location."

The center is expected to accelerate bioresearch and discovery, from imaging individual molecules to whole organisms, aiding such studies as brain and heart development, cell movement, chromosome structure and fat accumulation in animal models.

QB3 is the only one of the four California Institutes for Science and Innovation devoted to biomedical research. It brings together scientists from UC Berkeley, UC Santa Cruz and UCSF to apply quantitative techniques to solve complex biological problems.