Live Microscopy Core (LMC)
Chet Closson, Manager
The Live Microscopy Core facility is designed to help investigators perform high resolution fluorescence imaging with both living and fixed specimens. The facility provides training and access to multiple laser scanning confocal microscopes, as well as widefield, stereo and dissection microscopes. Additional equipment available for use are a Laser Capture Microdissection instrument, multimode plate reader, Real-Time-PCR systems, infrared imager, and cryostat.
NEW! We now have a high-end image analysis workstation with Imaris, as well as other common analysis tools such as ImageJ (FIJI), Leica LAS X, and Zeiss ZEN.
To book equipment and/or access services from the LMC, please login or create an account in Stratocore at https://ppms.us/uc/start/.
Location & Hours:
The core is located in Medical Sciences Building Room 3155. It is open 24/7 for approved trained users, or from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday for technical assistance.
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Zeiss LSM Confocal/Multiphoton Microscopes: Prime Hours Usage (per hour, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
Cost:Request Information$35
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Leica Cryostat (unlimited access per year)
Cost:Request Information$250
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Leica Stereo Microscope (unlimited access per year)
Cost:Request Information$250
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PerkinElmer EnVision Multi Mode Plate Reader (unlimited access per year)
Cost:Request Information$250
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Zeiss LSM Confocal/Multiphoton Microscopes: Off Hours Usage (per hour, all times not covered by Prime Hours)
Cost:Request Information$25
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Widefield Microscopes: Prime Hours Usage (per hour, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
Cost:Request Information$15
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Widefield Microscopes: Off Hours Usage (per hour, all times not covered by Prime Hours)
Cost:Request Information$10
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Technician Assistance: Training or Assisted Imaging (per hour)
Cost:Request Information$48.65 + Instrument Rate
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ArcturusXT Laser Capture MicroDissection (per hour)
Cost:Request Information$40
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Real-Time PCR (per plate)
Cost:Request Information$15
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Li-Cor Odyssey Infrared Imager (unlimited access per year)
Cost:Request Information$250
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Imaris Image Analysis Workstation (unlimited access per year)
Cost:Request Information$300
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Imaris Image Analysis Workstation Technician Assistance or Training (per hour)
Cost:Request Information$48.65
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Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscope: Prime Hours Usage (per hour, Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm)
Cost:Request Information$40
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Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscope: Off Hours Usage (per hour, all times not covered by Prime Hours)
Cost:Request Information$30
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LSM 710 LIVE Duo Confocal Microscope
Equipped with two separate scanning units, the fast-speed line (LIVE) scanner (up to 120 frames/sec at 512x512) and the LSM710 high-resolution point scanner, integrated into the same microscope. Point Scanner: 6 laser lines (405, 458, 488, 514, 560, 633nm) and 4 detectors (3 spectral confocal fluorescence plus 1 transmitted light detector). LIVE fast line scanner: 3 laser lines (405, 488, 560nm) and 2 confocal fluorescence detectors. The Duo system allows the two scanners to be used in combination for complex, high-speed bleaching or photomanipulation experiments. Temperature-controlled environmental chamber encasing entire microscope.
Request Information -
LSM 510 NLO Two-Photon Microscope
4 lasers (Ti-Sa [700-990 nm; wavelength selection under computer control], Ar [458,477,488,514 nm], Green HeNe [543 nm] and Red HeNe [633 nm]), 6 detectors [3 confocal fluorescence/reflectance, 1 Nomarski transmitted, 2 non-descanned high sensitivity two-photon detectors]). Inverted microscope stage enclosed in light-tight, temperature-controlled environmental chamber. Useful for deep tissue imaging (better than standard confocal) while retaining subcellular resolution in living tissue. The two-photon absorption also allows fluorophore uncaging, cell damage/ablation, spectral shifting, and other photo-catalytic events to be performed with sub-micron resolution in three dimensions.
Request Information -
DMi8 Widefield Fluorescence Microscope
Widefield microscope system equipped with a stage-top incubation chamber for live time-lapse imaging experiments in brightfield and fluorescence. Color camera for histology and phase contrast imaging, and high-sensitivity Hamamatsu ORCA-ER cooled CCD camera for fluorescence imaging. Sola LED light source and 4 fluorescence filters (DAPI, GFP, Texas Red, CY5). Motorized stage enables image stitching of large regions at high magnification.
Request Information -
Leica Stellaris 8 Confocal Microscope
Inverted laser scanning confocal microscope. The Leica Stellaris 8 Spectral confocal microscope offers maximum flexibility in both choosing an excitation wavelength and detecting a fluorophore's emission. Our system has 5 Power HyD detectors, providing high sensitivity across a broad spectral range. The White Light Laser (WLL) combined with Leica's proprietary Acousto-Optical Beam Splitter (AOBS), enables the use of up to 8 simultaneous independent laser lines. The WLL allows you to choose any excitation wavelength between 440 and 790 nm. When combined with the Power HyD R detector, you can detect fluorophores in the near infrared range, such as Cy7 (detection out to 850nm). An additional 405nm laser offers excitation for UV probes such as DAPI and Hoechst. Leica's TauSense uses fluorescence lifetime to provide a measure of contrast (TauContrast) that is independent from fluorescent intensity. The TauSense imaging tools include TauContrast, TauGating which uses differences in average photon arrival time to remove unwanted background and TauSeparation for multiplexing using differences in fluorescence lifetime. This confocal is on a fully motorized Leica DMi8 inverted microscope. With the Resonant scanner this microscope can scan images at high speed, comparable to that of a spinning disc confocal. The LIGHTNING module allows for super-resolution microscopy (~120nm). The tiling function in the Leica LAS X software and the motorized stage allows one to collect multiple images across a large field of view using a high magnification objective. The Tokai Hit incubation chamber provides complete environmental control: Regulating CO2, humidity and temperature. This microscope is available now in the Live Microscopy Core.
Request Information