Capabilities

The facility has a range of microscopes and related systems that offer a wide array of capabilities. If you have a sample that fluoresesces or interacts with light in some way, we can probably image it or extract information from it.

LMCF can help with live cells, fixed samples, model organisms, small animals, single molecules or at most points in between. Details of the exact capabilties are below but if you have any doubt or questions as to the best way to proceed with your project please contact us.

    Fluorescence imaging of a huge range of samples
  • Different modalities for different specimens - Widefield, scanning confocal, 2 Photon, spinning disk confocal, TIRF
  • Filters/excitation for virtually all fluorophores (eg dapi, all fluorescent proteins, Alexa Fluors, CY dyes, NIR dyes)
  • Laser lines available: 351 364 405 458 477 488 496 514 543 561 568 594 633 647 690-1080 nm.
    Transmitted light imaging
  • DIC, phase contrast, brightfield, darkfield, polarized light
  • Colour IHC imaging (eg H&E staining)
    Imaging large range of sample sizes
  • From macroscopic samples on the stereoscope . . .
  • To samples requiring 100x objectives on a widefield or confocal
  • Single molecule imaging on TIRF
    Live-cell imaging
  • Temperature, humidity and CO2 regulation on widefield fluorescence, TIRF and confocal microscopes
  • High-speed resonant scanner for rapid less damaging confocal aquisition
  • High-sensitivity EM-CCD camera (95% efficiency) on widefield and TIRF systems
  • Time lapse, including multiposition time lapse
  • Long-term time lapse (eg multiple days) available on the VivaView incubator microscope
    FRAP, FLIP, Photoactivation/conversion
  • Measure protein dynamics in living cells
  • Point scanning confocals convenient for defined regions with slower processes
  • Point activation/bleaching on the deltaVison widefield system for ultra fast/sensitive experiments
  • FCS is available on the 780 confocal
    FRET
  • Sensitized emission and acceptor photobleaching
  • Possible on confocal and widefield systems
  • Ratiometric CFP/YFP FRET reporter imaging
  • Lifetime measurements on TCSPC FLIM system
    High-throughput microscopy
  • Plate format acquisition capability on an inverted microscope with motorized stage
    Image processing, analysis and quantification
  • Measurement of object intensity, size, number etc
  • Object tracking in 2D and 3D
  • 3D measurements and rendering
  • Deconvolution - Huygens and DeltaVision Softworx

If there are other techniques or capabilities not mentioned here that interest you, please contact Sam as it may be possible to add them to the facility if there is sufficient interest.

A list of all the resources available in LMCF in a format for grant applications is available here.

Related capabilties available elsewhere at Duke