August 26, 2008
Graduate student Tyson Kim of the UCSF Pacific Vascular Research lab was featured on KGO news for the co-creation of a double photon microscope used to study the brain tissue of mice in the hopes of finding new treatments for heart disease.
Kim chose to build his own microscope modeled after one at Cornell in order to give his lab a head start without the high price tag in these cutting-edge brain studies. Teaming with engineers, he combined high-end components available commercially and designed others to develop the microscope that would allow them to monitor changes in the vascular system without sacrificing the animals, actually detecting the process in real time. Director of the lab, Associate Professor in Residence of Surgery, Rong Wang, says this research might someday give scientists the ability to kill off a cancerous tumor or perhaps to do the opposite and bring fresh blood to damaged tissue.
To view the newscast go to KGO News (http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/health&id=6353110).