We provide services within a range of imaging techniques, such as confocal, live-cell, and various superresolution imaging techniques. We routinely train users in microscopy, enabling them to independently operate our microscopes, while we also offer microscopy as a service. Contact us if you would like to make an appointment for training. We also offer to have meetings with users to discuss imaging needs and options. Contact us by mail for further information and/or protocols for sample preparation. Price List

Equipment

The Core Facility for Advanced Light Microscopy, Montebello holds a Zeiss LSM 710 confocal microscope, a Zeiss LSM 880 Airyscan FAST confocal microscope, and a DeltaVision OMX V4 Blaze super-resolution microscope, a Nikon Ti2-E microscope with a spinning disk, an Olympus VS200 slide scanner, as well as software licences for Imaris and Huygens.

This is an inverted, confocal microscope, equipped for live-cell imaging including a definite focus system. It comprises several laser lines (405, 458, 488, 514, 561,  and 633 nm). Available objectives: 10x NA 0.45 DIC II (Plan-Apochromat), 20x NA 0.8 DIC II (Plan-Apochromat), 25x NA 0.8 (LD LCI Plan-Apochromat), 40x NA 1.2 Water Imm DIC III (C-Apochromat), 63x NA 1.4 oil DIC III (Plan-Apochromat), 100x NA 1.46 oil DIC III (alpha Plan-Apochromat).

Available imaging techniques:

• Multicolor fluorescence confocal imaging
• Two-Dimentional Imaging
• Three-Dimentional Imaging (Z-stack)
• Time Series (Live Imaging)
• FRAP, FRET, Photoactivation 

LSM 880 Airyscan FAST is a confocal microscope equipped with an Airyscan detector and FAST options. The airyscan detector gives possibilities for superresolution imaging with a resolution upto 1,7 times that of conventional confocal imaging. The airyscan detector also provides high sensitivity and can be combined with the FAST beam shaper to give fast and gentle live-cell imaging.

Laser lines: 405, 458, 488, 514, 561,  and 633 nm. Available objectives: 10x NA 0.45 DIC II (Plan-Apochromat), 20x NA 0.8 DIC II (Plan-Apochromat), 25x NA 0.8 (LD LCI Plan-Apochromat), 40x NA 1.2 Water Imm DIC III (C-Apochromat), 63x NA 1.4 oil DIC III (Plan-Apochromat). Definite focus 2 system. Temperature and CO₂ controlled chamber.

Available imaging techniques:

• Multicolor fluorescence confocal imaging
• Two and Three-Dimensional Imaging (Z-stack)
• Time Series (Live Imaging)
• FRAP, FRET, Photoactivation
• Airyscan superresolution
• Airyscan FAST imaging

The DeltaVision OMX V4 Blaze 3D-SIM microscope is an advanced multimode, super-resolution microscope system.

Imaging options:

• SIM: structured illumination microscopy for multicolor 3D super-resolution imaging. Gives a resolution down to 110 nm lateral and 330 nm axial.
• Localization microscopy (STORM): 2D super-resolution imaging with a resolution down to 20 nm.
• Conventional mode: ultra fast widefield imaging, with temperature and CO2 control for live cell imaging.
• TIRF: Total Internal Reflection Fluoresence, for enhanced signal-to-noise imaging of the surface of a cell/specimen.
• PhotoKinetics/Photoactivation imaging system for photoactivation, FRAP, and FRET imaging methods.

Other features of the OMX: 6-color solid state illumination and 6 lasers (405 nm, 445 nm, 488 nm, 514 nm, 568 nm, and 642 nm), UltimateFocus Hardware Autofocus System, three high speed sCMOS cameras. Objectives: 60X NA 1.42 oil PLAPON6 PSF, 60X NA 1.49 TIRF, and 60X NA 1.30 Sil. 

Protocol for new users of SIM: OMX-SIM

Our Nikon ECLIPSE Ti2-E microscope is equipped with a Yokogawa CSU-W1 confocal spinning disk, a SoRa disk for superresolution imaging, and is also equipped for widefield fluoresence imaging. The system has four lasers (405nm, 488 nm,561 nm, 640 nm), a solid state light engine (7 excitation bands), two highly sensitive and fast sCMOS cameras (PrimeBSI), and a selection of objectives ranging from 4x to 100x. This system can be used for fast and gentle imaging of live or fixed cells/samples in widefield mode, confocal mode, or in confocal superresolution mode. The system is equipped with a temperature and CO₂ controlled chamber, fast hardware focus system, a JOBS module for high content imaging, and NIS-Elements-AR software for image analysis.

Available imaging techniques:

• Multicolor fluorescence spinning disk confocal or widefield imaging
• Two and Three-Dimensional (Z-stack) Imaging
• Time Series, Live Imaging
• High content imaging
• SoRa superresolution imaging

The SLIDEVIEW VS200 digital slide scanner is equipped with a loader for upto 210 slides, robotics for automatic loading of slides into the scanner, and light sources and cameras for both brightfield and fluorescence image scanning. It has automatic sample detection,  Autofocus system,  a 2x objective for overview-scans, and 4x, 10x, 20x, 40x and 60x objectives for high quality, quantitative detailed imaging. The system can automatically scan overview and detailed images of samples mounted on glass-slides (standard 26x76mm, or larger).

Imaging Techniques:

• Brightfield imaging of tissue/tissue sections stained with HE, HRP-immunostain, or others.
• Fluoresence imaging of upto four colors (blue, green, red and farred).
• 3D/Z-stack imaging
• Multibatch scanning of slides

Imaris - Imaris (Bit-Plane) licence version 9.0.2, which includes algoritms for Visualization, Segmentation, Classification and Statistical Analysis of Surfaces, Spots and Contours, for Tracking Objects, and for Colocalization Measurements.

Huygens- Huygens Essential, version 14.06, image processing software for deconvolution, visualization and analysis.