In Vivo Testing and Instrumentation (IVTI) module

Services

For more information about this module or to request services, please contact Ethan Rossi at rossiea@pitt.edu or Patrick Mayo at mayojp@pitt.edu.

The In Vivo Testing and Instrumentation (IVTI) module provides our participating faculty with a comprehensive suite of resources to speed up the pace of discovery for their in vivo investigations. These resources span imaging, mechanical, and optical equipment with accompanying usage expertise and design guidance. In vivo testing, both with commercial and custom instrumentation, is essential for many of the lines of investigation pursued by our participating faculty.

As advances in optical imaging, microelectronics, and neuroengineering continue to accelerate, the lines between these formerly distinct research silos begin to blur. The IVTI module provides both early-stage and more established investigators with the equipment, training, and resources to evaluate visual system structure and function with both conventional and customized instrumentation. The IVTI module gives access to equipment and training in the in vivo measurement of retinal structure and function. When these existing tools are insufficient for the needs of our investigators, the IVTI module directors guide and train module users on the conception, development, and design of custom research devices to meet the needs of our participating faculty.

Modules

Once a design has been developed, the IVTI module will also provide state-of-the-art resources to fabricate the new device, as well as expert advice along the way to maximize the likelihood of success. This module has two units, including a Custom Fabrication module and an in vivo testing module.

The Custom Fabrication Module utilizes The Swanson Center of Product Innovation, a full-service 3,500 sq. ft. product realization and fabrication facility located within the Swanson School of Engineering. The facility has a full complement of both traditional machining technologies, as well as state-of-the-art additive manufacturing and reverse engineering tools to enable concept through production prototype validation of components and systems.

Additionally, the Custom Fabrication Module recently opened the Brian Frankowski Innovation Shop on the ground floor of the Vision Institute, offering a variety of machining equipment for all researchers to use after required training. Resources available in the machine shop include a CNC Mill, milling machine, belt sander, drill press, grinding wheel, polishing wheel, table saw, router, chop saw, in-line compressed air, and a variety of hand tools.

The facility is staffed by 2 full-time employees with a combined experience of decades of design and fabrication expertise. The In vivo testing module houses two Bioptogen OCT instruments and Diagnosis Colordome, and Celeris ERG systems for full-field and pattern ERGs. The module also has a Micron 4 camera. Taken together, these resources will allow our participating faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University to access a modern toolkit for in vivo testing, providing both established tools and a rapid prototyping mechanism to develop the next generation of in vivo testing and instrumentation that will drive future discoveries.