BNEIR’s mission is to provide biomedical researchers quick access to the elemental imaging instrumentation, training, support and community they need.
What is BNEIR? The Biomedical National Elemental Imaging Resource (BNEIR) is a user facility within Dartmouth’s Trace Element Analysis (TEA) core facility, dedicated to a mode of elemental analysis called elemental imaging: where the location and the abundance of multiple elements is mapped from a biological specimen. BNEIR is open to all biomedical researchers whose work addresses the mandates of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS); to support basic research that increases our understanding of biological processes and lays the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
At BNEIR, we are committed to accelerating and simplifying access to elemental imaging for biological researchers. By providing instrumentation, expertise, web-based and in-person training, after-visit support, and software we will foster a dynamic community for elemental imaging users.
This is how BNEIR works: You can reach out using our short online form, or just email us about what you’d like to do, so we can make sure LA-ICP-MS is the right technique for your study. We will schedule your experiment and direct you to resources on how to prepare your samples. Usually we can work with specimens you may already have prepared to get preliminary data. You or your students can come to BNEIR in person to do the analysis, or you can send us your samples and we will run them for you. Should you opt for an in person visit, check out what the Upper Valley has to offer and where to stay. As a member of BNEIR you will have access to updated, curated information about elemental imaging, be able to archive your data in a FAIR data library, be able to interact with others who use elemental imaging and shape the way BNEIR functions to better meet your needs.