Microscopic Imaging

The microscopic imaging service group is a decentralized unit that takes care of most microscopic machinery throughout the different departments of the institute. Therefore, it incorporates a diverse inventory ranging from traditional transmitted light microscopes for high throughput imaging of unlabeled ex vivo or fixed and sectioned samples, over single- as well as multiphoton confocal laser scanning microscopes capable of spectral imaging, to even more specific applications like light sheet microscopy or laser microdissection.

Besides the acquisition service, the group also assists in post processing of acquired images like 3D reconstruction of complex structures, image analysis via ImageJ/Fiji, extended focus generation via Helicon Focus, and further data analysis in R.

If the necessary microscopic setup is not available on-site, there are numerous options to get in touch with external collaborators like the electron microscopic (EMZ) center at the Friedrich-Schiller University, the Microverse imaging Center (MIC) which is part of the local excellence cluster on the microverse, or even ZEISS directly with their local demo facilities.   

A (not conclusive) list of available microscopes includes:

ZEISS cLSM 710 with COHERENT multiphoton laser

ZEISS cLSM 880 with Airyscan for super-resolution

ZEISS Axiovert 200 inverted microscope

ZEISS AXIO Zoom.V16 Stereomicroscope for extended focus stacks of large whole mount samples and Apotome.2

ZEISS Imager Z.1 for transmitted light and fluorescence microscopy

ZEISS Lightsheet.Z1 for long-term live sample observation

LEICA LMD6000 for laser microdissection of sectioned tissue