FAQs

You can send an email to the core facility manager Isabel Pintelon (Isabel.pintelon@uantwerpen.be).

You are always welcome to visit our facilities but in order to give you a quality tour and explanation, a notice in advance is required so that we can plan and prepare your visit and make sure that you can get the most out of it. Contact the core facility manager (Isabel.pintelon@uantwerpen.be).

ACAM is in the T-building of Campus ‘Drie Eiken’ te Wilrijk, Antwerpen. If you come by car, please use parking 4. Inquire with the core facility manager for the code to open the gate. If you come by public transport, we advise you to use the busses 17 or 22.

Yes, ACAM has users across the academic world (UAntwerpen and non-UAntwerpen) and within the for-profit industry world. A significant number of collaborative projects has been successfully initiated and completed in the past with distinct non-UAntwerpen national and international partners. Several of these collaborations are still ongoing on a sustainable basis.

Yes, ACAM is a founding member of Flanders Bio-Imaging, a recognized node of the European ESFRI network EUROBIOIMGAING. Through this network, ACAM is in close contact with all imaging core facilities of the other Flemish Universities, which allows alignment of standardization, FAIRification and training initiatives and which allows covering an even broader spectrum of advanced imaging technologies.

ACAM gathers state-of-the-art scientific research infrastructure and expertise into one overarching service unit, which it offers for the wider community to support high-quality, internationally competitive science. To sustain this pursuit of impact, a model is implemented that focuses on maintenance of high-end imaging equipment, development of innovative pipelines, user training and support, and capacity building.

Yes, throughout the academic year, ACAM organizes trainings, workshops and even webinars for you to join and improve your microscopy mastery. To be informed, subscribe yourself to our newsletter or check the news section on the website for more timely information.

We start every new research study with an intake interview to jointly explore how to best tackle your research questions. In that meeting (face-to-face, TEAMS, ...) we will help formulate the research question in such a way that we can identify the best microscopy technique(s) and corresponding sample prep and image analysis for your needs. Based on the experimental design, we will then draw a plan and make concrete arrangements with the involved investigators. Depending on your level of experience, the actual acquisition of data will be done by yourself or ACAM-personnel. The same holds true for the downstream image and data analysis. ACAM also offers data management and warehousing solutions on demand.

You do not need necessarily have to know which microscopy techniques would be best up front. Depending on your research questions, we will advise you on the best suited technique. In some cases, a preliminary experiment with a limited number of samples can be performed on different systems to select the best approach and microscope device to adequately answer your research question.

A short notice in advance is required. Given that all our microscopes are heavily used, we cannot guarantee that your samples can be processed instantaneously. Furthermore, our team first evaluates every request and updates it planning based on priorities. We work with a booking system and will try to reserve research time for you within a reasonable period.

If needed, experienced ACAM-personnel can train you how to use and manipulate a specific microscopical setup. If a personal training is considered to be necessary or indicated (only in case multiple microscope session are required in your project), several training sessions will be planned in order to fully master the necessary microscope techniques and operation of the dedicated microscope. The training itself and the time needed will depend on the system at hand but several training hours are a minimum. Be aware that a training fee will apply.

No, this is not necessary, but we would advise you to join if possible as this will always help the navigation to the most informative data and eventual analysis and it will speed up the process of recording the images which are of primary interest to address your research question(s). But if you are deprived of time, ACAM personnel can run the image acquisition in your absence. Take into account that there is a cost related to this service.

ACAM staff is experienced in the different techniques and steps that lead to the most optimal sample preparation and also hosts ample facilities for this purpose (cell culture, histology, immuncytochemistry...). They will help and guide you to follow the indicated and diligent procedures as seen appropriate for your research question(s). In case this is seen as opportune and/or appropriate, you can be trained in sample preparation techniques.

ACAM can be used to image different types of biological samples, including those derived from plants, animals and humans. Users of the core facility must possess an approved ethical dossier to work with these samples. Users are also responsible for the accurate registration of the samples, as well as the proper storage and use of the image data obtained. The core facility holds an approved biosafety file that authorizes work with certain specific pathogens and genetically modified organisms. All activities are subject to strict conditions approved by the government. Requests dealing with non-biological samples (i.e., chemical solutions, matrices, food components, …) have been dealt with as well but will be handled per casus.

Normally we would refrain from storing your samples at ACAM and prefer that you would store them in your own labs. This would help minimizing potential confusion or miscommunication which could eventually lead to the loss of or damage to your samples. In special cases however, you can contact Dr. I. Pintelon, the Facility Manager, to ask for an exception.

Projects that involve the use of lab animals should be performed at the central animalarium. Be aware that users must possess an approved ethical file (ECD-file) to perform these experiments. If you have questions about this, inquire with the core facility manager. ACAM can help in processing tissues obtained from this kind of studies. Tissues should be fixed before bringing them to the ACAM facility. ACAM can advise you on the best approach how to fix various tissues. Fixatives for different applications can be provided by ACAM.

In vivo imaging of lab animals is currently not possible at ACAM. Application for an in vivo imaging microscope is ongoing and is expected to be operational in 2026.

Projects that involve the use of lab animals should be performed at the central animalarium. Be aware that users must possess an approved ethical file (ECD-file) to perform these experiments. If you have questions about this, inquire with the core facility manager. ACAM can help in processing tissues obtained from this kind of studies. Tissues should be fixed before bringing them to the ACAM facility. ACAM can advise you on the best approach how to fix various tissues. Fixatives for different applications can be provided by ACAM.

Yes, ACAM does process samples from human origin, and you can also image human cells and samples. Be aware that users must possess an approved ethical file (EC) to work with these samples. Users are also responsible for the accurate registration of these samples in the Biobank, as well as the proper storage and use of the image data obtained. Samples of human origin cannot be stored at ACAM. ACAM will not have access to personal data associated with the human samples analyzed. Responsibility for handling personal data will rest solely with the users. Notice that the microscope rooms at ACAM are BSL1 and thus allow performing L1 activities. You should notify Dr. I. Pintelon, the Core Facility Manager, if you plan to work within the ACAM facility with specimens that are potential biohazardous.

The microscope rooms at ACAM are BSL1 and thus allow performing L1 activities. You should notify Dr. I. Pintelon, the Core Facility Manager, if you plan to work within the ACAM facility with specimens that are potential biohazardous. All users working with potentially biohazardous agents or specimens must have a registered biosafety dossier before performing the planned experiments.

Users are advised to copy their data after the image acquisition and are responsible for storage at their own lab. Raw data remains available for 30 days. Upon request, long-term storage on the ACAM server can be provided or users can be granted access to the ACAM server for image analysis (fees may apply).

Yes, ACAM has a broad staff of people; all with their own analysis expertise. As such you can leverage this range of expertise during your analysis of the acquisitions, either qualitatively or quantitatively. Take into account that, depending on the type of service/agreement made during the intake interview, there might be a cost related to this service.

ACAM has developed several image analysis codes and pipelines, many of which are available on Github / Zenodo. Upon request, ACAM can develop tailor-made analysis scripts for your application. Tailoring existing scripts or co-development assumes a joint research effort and should hence result in co-authorships. In all cases, proper reference to script should be done through citation of the relevant DOI (on Zenodo) and where applicable landmark publication(s).

At ACAM, microscopy usage is charged at a fixed hourly rate, which depends on the system. The cost of the system required for your study will be communicated by the core facility manager during the intake interview. This price will also be included in the approval email for your study, along with the scope proposal and terms of use. The final cost of your project will depend on the total hours of microscope usage or the number of processed samples, which may vary as the experiments progress. Therefore, providing an exact cost estimate upfront is not always possible. Expense reports are sent quarterly, allowing you to monitor your budget. If you need updates on the current costs of your project, you can contact the core facility manager. In case of an industrial collaboration, we will provide a cost quote in advance.

At ACAM, microscopy usage is charged at a fixed hourly rate, which depends on the system. The cost of the system required for your study will be communicated by the core facility manager during the intake interview. This price will also be included in the approval email for your study, along with the scope proposal and terms of use. The final cost of your project will depend on the total hours of microscope usage or the number of processed samples, which may vary as the experiments progress. Therefore, providing an exact cost estimate upfront is not always possible. Expense reports are sent quarterly, allowing you to monitor your budget. If you need updates on the current costs of your project, you can contact the core facility manager. In case of an industrial collaboration, we will provide a cost quote in advance.

To ensure continued support by ACAM, it is essential to acknowledge its role in the acquisition and/or analysis of microscopy data for publications and grant applications. This implies that ACAM and the involved staff are explicitly mentioned in the acknowledgements of scientific publications when involved from a service perspective, and that the funding sources of the utilized equipment is properly referenced in the Funding section. In the case of co-development or intellectual exchange, contributions of ACAM staff should be reflected in co-authorships. Irrespective of the nature of use, all output should be presented to the core management (Prof W. De Vos and Dr. I. Pintelon) prior to final publication. Please also check this template that you can use to correctly acknowledge ACAM in all your publications. Template: The authors would like to acknowledge ACAM, the microscopy core facility of the University of Antwerp, for the use of their microscopy facilities. The microscope used in this publication, i.e. - Tecnai Spirit G2 Biotin (AUHA-08-004) was funded by mid-size infrastructure of FWO - UltraVIEW Vox (AUHA-09-001) was funded by mid-size infrastructure of FWO - Leica SP8 (GOH4216N) was funded by mid-size infrastructure of FWO - Nikon SORA (I003420N) was funded by mid-size infrastructure of FWO. FWO IRI grant nr. I000123N

Co-authorship of scientific publications is considered a logical consequence of significant, intellectual contribution. This will be discussed during the intake meeting with the core facility manager and evaluated throughout the experimental follow-up. ACAM looks upon this “gentleman’s agreement” concerning publication & acknowledgement rules as indeed a crucial and essential facet for creating the basic trustworthy relation between ACAM and its users needed for a long-term win-win interface.

It should be very clear that the use of the ACAM facility comes with an actual cost, stemming from the actual usage but as well from the purchase, the maintenance and depreciation of the high-tech microscopy equipment. The payment of the corresponding bill does not condone the users to still abide to the “gentleman’s agreement” to acknowledge the ACAM staff and facility in their resulting scientific publications.