Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscope

Inverted Leica DMi8 CS Premium fully motorized research microscope with motorized 6-position nosepiece, closed-loop focus with AFC, Super Z-galvo stage, universal inverse Super Z insert and scanning stage. 

Conventional and 8 kHz tandem scanner for high-speed imaging and high axial resolution. Objectives: 10x dry (0.40 NA), 20x dry (0.75 NA), 40x dry (0.95 NA, correction collar), 63x oil (1.40 NA), and 100x oil (1.44 NA, correction); objectives are coverslip corrected for a #1.5 coverslip (approximately 170 µm). 

Two lasers: 405 nm DMOD laser and White Light Laser (WLL) covering 440–790 nm. The WLL with Acousto-Optical Beam Splitter (AOBS) enables up to 8 simultaneous independent laser lines and supports separation of up to 5 spectrally overlapping fluorophores. 

Five high-sensitivity detectors: 2 Power HyD S, 2 Power HyD X, and 1 Power HyD R, with the HyD R enabling detection of fluorophores in the near-infrared range such as Cy7. Includes TauSense fluorescence lifetime-based imaging, LIGHTNING computational imaging for enhanced resolution. 

Okolab DMi8 Black Box environmental chamber with CO₂ and passive humidity control for live-cell imaging. Actively damped Newport/MKS optical table. LAS X STELLARIS software with 3D Visualization, Dye Finder, Assay Editor, FRET and FRAP, plus CUDA workstation. 

Primarily used to image diverse biological samples, including fixed and live-cell specimens. 

Yokogawa CSU-W1 Spinning-Disk Confocal Microscope

The facility’s Yokogawa CSU-W1 spinning-disk confocal imaging system is configured on a Nikon Ti2-E inverted, motorized research microscope for high-speed fluorescence and live-cell imaging. The system combines a 50-µm pinhole spinning disk with a six-position motorized fluorescence filter turret and laser excitation at 405, 488, 561, and 640 nm.

The microscope is equipped with high-performance 20×/0.80 NA, 60×/1.42 NA oil-immersion, and 100×/1.45 NA oil-immersion objectives, a motorized XY stage, and a 200-µm-travel piezoelectric Z nano-positioner with close loop for precise 3D imaging. Detection is provided by a Photometrics Prime BSI sCMOS camera (2048 × 2048 pixels) with high quantum efficiency and thermoelectric/liquid cooling.

For live-cell applications, the system includes an environmentally controlled incubation enclosure with temperature and CO₂ control. Image acquisition, processing, quantitative analysis, 3D reconstruction, object tracking, and related workflows are supported through NIS-Elements Advanced Research software. 

Key capabilities: high-speed spinning-disk confocal imaging, multicolor fluorescence, live-cell imaging, optical sectioning and 3D reconstruction, motorized multi-dimensional acquisition, and quantitative image analysis.

Zeiss Axiovert 200M Microscope:

Workhorse inverted microscope capable of multifluorescence imaging

Filter module with filter sets for: Hoecsht/DAPI, FITC/488/GFP and Texas Red/594

Brightfield, phase contrast and DIC optics

Zeiss AxioCam Mrm CCD camera, Zeiss Axiovision software, motorized stage

Objectives: 10x A-Plan (10x/0.25 Ph1); 20x LD Plan-NEOFLUAR (20x/0.4 Ph2 Korr); 20x Plan-NEOFLUAR (20x/0.50 DIC II); 40x EC Plan-NEOFLUAR (40x/1.3 oil infinity/0.17 DIC III); a 40x LD Plan-NEOFLUOR (40x/0.6 Ph2 Korr infinity/0-1.5); and a 63x Plan-APO CHROMAT (63x/1.4 oil DIC III infinity/0.17)

TMC Micro-g antivibration table