Equipment
Advanced light microscopy
A rich portfolio of high-end imaging workstations is provided for end-point and time-lapse live-cell assays. Most systems are fully optimized for long-term live-cell imaging through integration of customized environmental chambers, high precision XYZ controls, continuous hard- and software auto-focus capabilities, long-lifetime and stable light sources and sensitive (multiple) cameras and/or detectors. Technologies include manual and automated wide-field microscopy, point-scanning and spinning disk confocal microscopy, as well as multiphoton and light sheet microscopy. Our inverted and upright microscopes are optimized to hold a variety of specimen formats; including microfluidic chips and other customized devices.
The following technologies are available on specialized imaging work stations or in combination.
Manual Microscopes
Our facility holds several (semi)-manual microscopes, which are set up as walk-up instruments where every user can quickly check samples for fluorescence and morphology and manually take high-quality images with a sensitive 4 megapixel sCMOS camera. These systems are not equipped with environmental control, nor motorized positioning stages.
Automated Wide Field Microscopes
Our facility is equipped with various high-end, fully motorized inverted wide-field microscopes to cover a broad range of applications and experimental needs. All systems can run the most common types of live-cell experiment, combining time lapse, multi-position (XYZ), multi-channel and stitching (large image) functionalities. In addition, each microscope can be custom-scripted to perform automatized complex and/or ‘smart’ imaging routines (JOBS). Beside the basic capabilities, each of the systems is particularly specialized for certain experiment types, often through the choice of (extra) peripherals.
Lightsheet Microscopes (SPIM)
The SCF Facility houses 2 dual-side illumination lightsheet microscopes: the Z1 from Zeiss and the LS1 Live from Viventis.
The combination of these two microscopes enables users to acquire both live and fixed (cleared) samples, in a wide ranges of sizes and in different numbers.
Both are designed for selected plane illumination to achieve optical sectioning with low phototoxicity/bleaching and a high temporal resolution.
Point Scanning Confocal Microscopes
Several laser scanning microscopes are available at the SCF: SP8 & SP8-FALCON, Nikon A1 & A1R, and Zeiss LSM780 NLO & LSM980 NLO Airyscan 2.
Available functionalities/modules: up to eight different excitation lines or white light laser, HyD/GaAsP detectors, spectral detection FLIM, FRAP, FCS, spectral detection and unmixing, multiphoton excitation, superresolution, virtual filters and multidimentional imaging and environmental control for life cell imaging.
Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopes
The SCF houses several high-end, fully motorized spinning disk confocal microscopes. Optimized for live-cell observation in 3D and/or at high speed, these microscopes offer an excellent compromise between imaging speed, sectioning capability, limited light exposure, and sensitivity. Each system offers a fully equipped wide field transmission and epi-fluorescence capability in parallel, freely combinable with confocal observation channels. One of hese microscopes is equipped with a superresolution device allowing a resolution of 120nm.
Super-resolution Microscopes
The SCF houses several super-resolution (SR) systems, which can be classified into three types: resolution-enhancing modules, STED microscopy and localization-based SR microscopy. Pushing technology to its limit, these highest-end microscopes provide best-in-class resolution beyond the tradition diffraction barrier for a variety of imaging scenarios.