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Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
MSL iLab Site

New users

1) Register an account with iLab:

If you are associated with the University of North Carolina, and have an ONYEN:

  1. Go to MSL’s iLab website.
  2. Click on “Register” (top right corner) and select “Register using UNC credentials”. The system will guide you through the rest of the account creation process.
  3. Obtain financial authorization to pay for use of microscope and sample preparation services at MSL.

NOTE: you can skip this step if you already have an account due to previous use of a core facility at UNC or if you were a user of the MSL as of October 31st, 2017.

If you are NOT associated with the University of North Carolina:

  1. Go to MSL’s iLab website.
  2. Click on “Register” (top right corner) and select “Register for an iLab account”. The system will guide you through the rest of the account creation process.

NOTE: you can skip this step if you already have an account due to previous use of a core facility at UNC or elsewhere.

2) Request training and/or sample preparation services:

  1. Sign in to MSL’s iLab website (“Sign in” button, top right corner) using UNC (internal users) or iLab credentials (external users).
  2. Select the Request Services tab and click on the Request Service button next to the service of interest (light microscopy training, electron microscopy training or sample preparation, workstation analysis training).
  3. Fill out and submit the necessary form. We will be in touch ASAP.

What happens after I submit a training request for Light Microscopy ?

We will review the information you provide and advise you on the best microscope for your experiments. We may email you if we have additional questions during this process.

Once we have selected a microscope, we will contact you to schedule a training time. Before the training, you will need to review videos and documents with both theoretical and practical guidelines for using the particular microscope you will need. These materials will require a substantial investment of time (up to a few hours) on the part of each researcher that wishes to use the core. You may have to complete a quiz to verify that you understand the basic features of that microscope. If you have trouble with the quiz, we will reach out to make sure you understand the basics before moving forward. Review of these materials in advance of the in-person training session is essential for that session to be effective. Researchers that are unable to review necessary materials before the in-person session will be rescheduled

After you have received training you will be able to book that system during MSL’s open hours. Trainings are personal, individual, and non-transferrable; all users must be trained by MSL staff to use our microscopes. This ensures effective training and minimizes the possibility of equipment damage. Of course, we are happy to answer any questions after you have been trained.

What happens after I submit a training/services request for Electron Microscopy?

We will review the information you submitted and and/or will contact you directly to discuss your electron microscopy project. They will advise you on microscope training and can explain the many specimen preparation services we provide.

A note on scheduling

We strive to help users as quickly as possible, but the staff and microscopes are usually heavily booked. Because of this we ask that you please try to contact us at least a week in advance of when you want to use a microscope for the first time. We also encourage you to if you want to meet in person to discuss your research and how we can help you. We want to give you the best possible assistance and typically cannot do that if you drop by with a sample that needs to be imaged urgently for a paper submission, grant application or lab meeting due the next day. Please give us advance notice and we will be happy to meet with you and help you with your research.