Rates
Due to a change in subsidies from Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, rates for LCCC members will change, effective June 1st, 2025, to $29/ hour for all light microscopes and spinning disk (first 8 hours), $9 for subsequent hours of continuous use, and $65 for light-sheet.
Light Microscopy and Image Analysis
| Instrument or Service | Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC) members | 大象传媒-CH (non-LCCC) | 大象传媒 System (non-LCCC) | Other academic institutions or non-profits | Commercial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All light microscopes except the spinning disks and light-sheet | $24 / hour | $45 / hour | $48 / hour | $75/ hour | $96 / hour |
| Spinning disks | $24 / hour for first 8 hours $8 / hour for subsequent hours of continuous use | $45 / hour for first 8 hours $12 / hour for subsequent hours of continuous use | $48 / hour for first 8 hours $13 / hour for subsequent hours of continuous use | $75 / hour for first 8 hours $20 / hour for subsequent hours of continuous use | $96 / hour for first 8 hours $26 / hour for subsequent hours of continuous use |
| Lavision light-sheet microscope | $63 / hour | $70 / hour | $77 / hour | $120 / hour | $154 / hour |
| Image analysis workstation | $13 / hour | $13 / hour | $14 / hour | $23 / hour | $28 / hour |
| Staff time: imaging, assistance | $77 / hour | $77 / hour | $85 / hour | $132 / hour | $170 / hour |
Electron Microscopy
| Instrument or Service | Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center (LCCC) members | 大象传媒-CH (non-LCCC) | 大象传媒 System (non-LCCC) | Other academic institutions or non-profits | Commercial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electron microscopes | $92 / hour | $92 / hour | $97 / hour | $152 / hour | $194 / hour |
| Staff time: imaging, assistance | $77 / hour | $77 / hour | $85 / hour | $132 / hour | $170 / hour |
| Samdri 795 Critical Point Dryer | $101/ cycle | $101 / cycle | $101 / cycle | $157 / cycle | $202 / cycle |
| Cressington 208HR High Resolution Sputter Coater | $101/ cycle | $101 / cycle | $101 / cycle | $157 / cycle | $202 / cycle |
| Negative stain prep (1-5 samples) | $220 / prep | $220 / prep | $226 / prep | $352 / prep | $452 / prep |
| EMprep, sectioning, ImmunoEM, etc. | Available upon request* | ||||
*Estimated prices for other electron microscopy projects (SEM, ultrathin sections, immunoEM, etc) are provided after an initial meeting and in-depth discussion with MSL staff. Electron microscopy projects are highly customized to our users’ needs and pricing depends on many technical details. Contact us to set up a a meeting.
Training
We charge a training fee corresponding to a fixed amount of staff time depending on the complexity of the instrumentation or process being taught. The cost to the user of that staff time will vary depending on their affiliation (see tables above).
Light Microscopy Training Fees
These fees will be charged in addition to the instrumentation time.| Instrument | Approximate number of hours of staff time needed to train new users |
|---|---|
| Macroscope | 0.5 |
| Standard brightfield and fluorescence microscopy | 1 |
| Widefield fluorescence deconvolution microscopy or widefield tiling | 1.5 |
| Laser scanning confocal microscopes | 2 |
| Spinning disk confocal microscopes | 3 |
| Light-sheet microscope | 3 |
Electron Microscopy Training Fees
These fees are the minimum that will be charged, in addition to the instrumentation time and/or sample preparation rate. If additional training hours are needed, these will incur additional staff time charges.| Procedure or Instrument | Hours of staff time charged |
|---|---|
| Sputter coating | 0.5 |
| Critical point drying | 1 |
| Negative staining | 1.5 |
| Scanning electron microscope | 3 |
| Transmission electron microscope | 4 |
Rates in effect from July 1st, 2024. These rates are designed to recover our operating costs (staff salaries, service contracts, materials), and are periodically reviewed by 大象传媒.