Advanced Light Microscopy & Image Analysis  - Technology Platform offers several high end state-of-art microscope setups for a wide range of imaging techniques and applications.

Many of the setups are equipped for live imaging.

 Confocal and Two-Photon Microscopy  

 

Our confocal microscopes are equipped with multiple laser lines, various objectives and spectral detectors (PMTs or high sensitivity detectors). Two-photon excitation is possible for thick samples. Observation of subcellular structures can be done with the high-resolution Airy scan detector. A dedicated FLIM microscope can be used to study intracellular protein-protein interactions.

More information is available for internal users here.

Instruments

• Leica Stellaris 8
• Leica TCS SP8
• Leica TCS SP8 DLS
• Zeiss LSM 700
• Zeiss LSM 880 NLO
• Zeiss LSM 980 Airyscan
• Nikon/Andor CSU-W1
• Becker & Hickl FLIM

Some Applications

• Sequential multi-color fluorescence imaging (UV/green/red/far-red dyes) of adherent fixed cells and tissue sections up to 100 µm thickness
• z-stacks for 3D reconstructions
• Tile scans for large area samples
• Multiposition imaging
• Spectral unmixing of overlapping emission spectra
• Live cell imaging with very fast time series (e.g. vesicle movement, Ca²⁺responses)
• Long-term live imaging of adherent cells
• FRET (Förster resonant energy transfer) for detecting protein-protein interactions in situ measured via sensitized emission (fluorescence intensity ratio) or fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM)
• Laser photomanipulations such as FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching) or photoswitching/ photoactivation
• Confocal imaging with Airyscan technology (about two-fold improved resolution, speed and sensitivity)
• 2-Photon excitation for imaging in thick samples
• (Intravital) imaging of small organs/organisms with long working distance objective and/or 2-Photon excitation and non-descanned detection
• DIC microscopy
• Combination of confocal and selective plane imaging on the same system with the Digital LightSheet technology

• Leica Stellaris 8
• Leica TCS SP8
• Leica TCS SP8 DLS
• Zeiss LSM 700
• Zeiss LSM 880 NLO
• Zeiss LSM 980 Airyscan
• Nikon/Andor CSU-W1
• Becker & Hickl FLIM

Some Applications

• Sequential multi-color fluorescence imaging (UV/green/red/far-red dyes) of adherent fixed cells and tissue sections up to 100 µm thickness
• z-stacks for 3D reconstructions
• Tile scans for large area samples
• Multiposition imaging
• Spectral unmixing of overlapping emission spectra
• Live cell imaging with very fast time series (e.g. vesicle movement, Ca²⁺responses)
• Long-term live imaging of adherent cells
• FRET (Förster resonant energy transfer) for detecting protein-protein interactions in situ measured via sensitized emission (fluorescence intensity ratio) or fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM)
• Laser photomanipulations such as FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching) or photoswitching/ photoactivation
• Confocal imaging with Airyscan technology (about two-fold improved resolution, speed and sensitivity)
• 2-Photon excitation for imaging in thick samples
• (Intravital) imaging of small organs/organisms with long working distance objective and/or 2-Photon excitation and non-descanned detection
• DIC microscopy
• Combination of confocal and selective plane imaging on the same system with the Digital LightSheet technology

• Sequential multi-color fluorescence imaging (UV/green/red/far-red dyes) of adherent fixed cells and tissue sections up to 100 µm thickness
• z-stacks for 3D reconstructions
• Tile scans for large area samples
• Multiposition imaging
• Spectral unmixing of overlapping emission spectra
• Live cell imaging with very fast time series (e.g. vesicle movement, Ca²⁺responses)
• Long-term live imaging of adherent cells
• FRET (Förster resonant energy transfer) for detecting protein-protein interactions in situ measured via sensitized emission (fluorescence intensity ratio) or fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM)
• Laser photomanipulations such as FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching) or photoswitching/ photoactivation
• Confocal imaging with Airyscan technology (about two-fold improved resolution, speed and sensitivity)
• 2-Photon excitation for imaging in thick samples
• (Intravital) imaging of small organs/organisms with long working distance objective and/or 2-Photon excitation and non-descanned detection
• DIC microscopy
• Combination of confocal and selective plane imaging on the same system with the Digital LightSheet technology

Two-Photon Microscopy for in vivo deep tissue imaging

 

Deep tissue and organ imaging is possible due to the high penetration depth of the infrared radiation in Two-Photon microscopy. Our dedicated setup is completed with equipment for maintaining conditions for long-term live imaging. Large area imaging is possible for cleared or un-cleared tissue samples.

More information is available for internal users here.

Instrument

LaVision Biotec Trimscope II

Some Applications

• Two-photon flourescence imaging for non-transparent tissues labelled with flourescent proteins, selected flourophores or quantum dots using up to three different excitation wavelengths and six detection channels simultaneously and possibilities for spectral unmixing
• in-vivo flourescence imaging of cells expressing flourescent proteins and/or of blood vessels labelled with flourescent dextranes or quantum dots
• SHG (second harmonic generation) of collagen fibres
• Functional imaging of intracellular signals such as Ca²⁺ activation
• FRET imaging of endogenously expressed biosensors via sensitized emission (flourescence intensity ratio) or FLIM (flourescence liftetime imaging)
• Label free imaging of cellular autoflourescence (NADH, FAD)
• Photoactivation of bacteriorhodpsins for optogenetic studies

• Tile scans and multipostition imaging

   

Light sheet microscopy

 

Our 2 light sheet microscopes are applied for fast imaging of large volume tissue and organ samples after clearing. We also offer conditions for long-term imaging of live small samples.

More information is available for internal users here.

Instruments

• LaVision Biotec Ultramicroscope I
• Zeiss Lightsheet 7

Some Applications

• selective plane illumination for 3 dimensional imaging of large samples
• multiview acquisition with different rotation angles
• multicolor fluorescence imaging (blue/green/red/far-red dyes) of cleared samples like spheroids, tissue and organs, or transparent specimen like Zebrafish embryos or Drosophila larvae
• long-term and short-term live imaging

• selective plane illumination for 3 dimensional imaging of large samples
• multiview acquisition with different rotation angles
• multicolor fluorescence imaging (blue/green/red/far-red dyes) of cleared samples like spheroids, tissue and organs, or transparent specimen like Zebrafish embryos or Drosophila larvae
• long-term and short-term live imaging

Superresolution & TIRF Microscopy

 

Breaking the resolution limit is possible using several microscopy techniques. We offer wide field TIRF microscopy for studying dynamic membrane processes in live cells and possible applications to localisation microscopy (e.g. PALM). Our STED microscope can be used for both fixed and live samples as well as for the RESOLFT technique.

More information is available for internal users here.

Instruments

• 3i Vector TIRF
• Olympus TIRF
• Abberior STED

Some TIRF applications

• observation of membrane-associated cellular processes
• FRET microscopy by sensitized emission
• fast, sensitive single molecule imaging and tracking

Some STED applications

• subdiffraction-resolution imaging of subcellular structures and organelles in membranes, cytoplasm and nucleus of flat adherend cells and thin tissue sections
• multicolor superresolution imaging

Some TIRF applications

• observation of membrane-associated cellular processes
• FRET microscopy by sensitized emission
• fast, sensitive single molecule imaging and tracking

Some STED applications

• subdiffraction-resolution imaging of subcellular structures and organelles in membranes, cytoplasm and nucleus of flat adherend cells and thin tissue sections
• multicolor superresolution imaging

Some STED applications

• subdiffraction-resolution imaging of subcellular structures and organelles in membranes, cytoplasm and nucleus of flat adherend cells and thin tissue sections
• multicolor superresolution imaging

Wide field microscopy & laser microdissection

 

Laser microdissection is applied for specific isolation of individual cells or larger areas of a tissue sample, which will undergo further molecular analysis, i.e. contamination-free molecular analysis of DNA, RNA and proteins.

More information is available for internal users here.

Instrument

Zeiss Axio Observer Z1

Some applications

• multicolor wide-field fluorescence imaging of adherent fixed cells and tissue sections up to 100 µm thickness, esp. tile scan and multiposition imaging for large area samples
• laser-guided precise microdissection of histological sections on glass or membranes slides and of living cells in membrane dishes

• multicolor wide-field fluorescence imaging of adherent fixed cells and tissue sections up to 100 µm thickness, esp. tile scan and multiposition imaging for large area samples
• laser-guided precise microdissection of histological sections on glass or membranes slides and of living cells in membrane dishes