Laboratory of cellular and molecular imaging microscopy

Profile

The Cellular and Molecular Imaging Microscopy Laboratory is a high-profile research facility equipped with two powerful and versatile optical imaging systems for the investigation of cellular and molecular biological samples.

 

Equipment

Fluorescence microscope Zeiss AxioImager Z1

For classic brightfield and fluorescence imaging, the laboratory has an upright motorized Zeiss AxioImager Z1 microscope with a full set of dry and immersive objectives and a manual stage. For image recording, the microscope is equipped with a sensitive Zeiss digital camera. The microscope and the camera are controlled by the AxioVision software for classic single and multi-channel fluorescence scanning, time-lapse and 3D scanning.

Microscopes can be used independently by trained users from the ranks of NIMH employees, academics and company workers. For untrained users, assistance is provided both for the microscopic scanning itself and for the optimization of the scanning procedure with respect to the samples.

Leica TCS SP8 X confocal laser scanning microscope

The main microscope at NIMH is a state-of-the-art confocal microscope equipped with a white tunable laser that allows selection of any excitation line or a combination of up to eight excitation lines simultaneously from the visible spectrum of 470-670 nm. In addition to the white laser, the microscope is equipped with classic single and multi-line lasers from the near UV range (405 nm) through the entire visible range (Ar laser, DPSS laser, HeNe laser). Any combination of excitation laser lines and corresponding detection settings is possible thanks to the filterless beam splitter AOBS (Acousto-Optical Beam Splitter) for any combination of up to eight excitation laser lines simultaneously. The detection part of the system includes a combination of spectrally tunable confocal detectors - photomultipliers (PMT) and hybrid detectors (HyD based on GaAsP). On the microscope, imaging by a number of different methods is possible for fixed samples as well as for live cells thanks to the culture chamber with control of temperature and CO2 concentration.