Microscopy Equipment

Academic Research Building (ARB)
E6011
263 Farmington Avenue

UConnHealth

Please refer to the following spectral tools below to see if your probes are compatible with our equipment. If you need further assistance, please contact Susan, staurovsky@uchc.edu, 860-679-4686.

Zeiss LSM 880

Zeiss LSM 880The 880 is mounted on an Axio Observer Z1 with automated xyz control. The system is equipped with a spectral 32-channel QUASAR GaAsp detector allowing for spectral imaging and maximum sensitivity photon counting. This detector is effective from 410 - 696 nm. There are two adjacent PMT's, effective range 415 - 735 nm, and a transmitted light detector. The accompanying incubation system, which encloses the microscope, offers stable environmental conditions with temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide control.

Lasers Objectives
 405 nm Diode  10x/0.3 EC Plan-Neofluar
 458, 488, and 514 nm Argon  20x/0.8 Plan-Apochromat
 561 nm  Diode Pumped Solid State (DPSS)  25x/0.8 LD LCI Plan-Apochromat, W,Sil,Gly,Oil
 633 nm Helium Neon (HeNe)  40x/1.3 Achrostigmat Oil
 40x/1.2 C-Apochromat Water
 63x/1.4 Plan-Apochromat Oil

Zeiss Observer Z1 - TIRF

Zeiss Observer Z1

The Zeiss Observer Z1 is a motorized, inverted microscope fitted with a stage-top incubation system for live cell imaging, providing heating, humidification, and carbon dioxide. The system is equipped with a 5.5-megapixel, Andor Neo sCMOS camera. The scope is capable of phase, DIC, and fluorescence microscopy. The Lumencor Spectra 7, 6 LED light source is currently configured for imaging DAPI, GFP, Rhodamine, and Cy5. Objective choices range from 10x through 63x.

An advanced imaging feature of this system is its capability to perform TIRF using 488 nm, 514 nm, and 561 nm wavelengths for fluorescent indicators such as GFP,  YFP, and RFP using the 100x/1.45 alpha-Plan Fluar oil immersion objective.

The microscope is controlled via MicroManager, a plugin from FIJI, enabling it to acquire single-channel or multi-channel images as well as time series with multiple position acquisition.

3T3 Cells
3T3 cells stained with MitoTracker Red and Alexa Fluor 488 phallodin. (CCAM)

Imaging01

User terminalThis CCAM user computer is a Windows 7 computer with MetaMorph, Photoshop, Office, Zeiss LSM and Zen Image Browsers. All the software is available, with prior approval, via remote access.

Cell & Genome Sciences Building (CGSB)
Imaging Suite R1510
400 Farmington Avenue

UConnHealth - CGSB

Elyra 7 SIM2 - R1521

Zeiss Elyra 7

Structured illumination microscopy, SIM, is a widefield technique that greatly increases the diffraction-limited resolution of the light microscope, ~ 200 nm, to super-resolution, ~ 100 nm. SIM uses a periodic grating that is projected onto the image plane of the microscope. Software is then used to analyze the resulting Moiré pattern, and through deconvolution, a super-resolution image is obtained.  The Zeiss Elyra 7 SIM2 uses an advanced reconstruction algorithm that improves the SIM resolution to less than 100 nm, along with quick image acquisition and compatibility for live-cell applications.

The Elyra is capable of other high-resolution techniques such as TIRF, PALM, and STORM. Samples live and fixed, up to ~ 150 µm thickness can be viewed on the Elyra 7 SIM2 .

RPE Choroid Wholemount
Mouse retina pigments epithelium cells/choroid wholemount with tight junction (anti- ZO1, Green) and ROS stress levels (anti-8OHdG, purple). (Y. Jiang/Fong Lab)

The Elyra is mounted on a Zeiss Axio Observer 7, with definite focus. The system is equipped with an XY and Z piezo-controlled stage and focus, and two CMOS cameras for dual acquisition. The incubation system encloses the microscope and offers stable environmental conditions with temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide control for live cell imaging.

Lasers Objectives
 405 nm  for PALM 10x/0.3 EC Plan-Neofluar
 488 nm  20x/0.8 Plan-Apochromat
 561 nm 40x/1.4 Plan-Apochromat Oil
 640 nm  63x/1.4 Plan-Apochromat Oil
 63x/1.2W C-Apochromat Corr
 63x/1.46 alpha Plan-Apochromat Oil Corr
100x/1.57 Plan-Apochromat Oil-HI

Zeiss 780 - R1523

Zeiss LSM 780The 780 is a combined confocal/FCS/NLO system, mounted on an inverted Axio Observer Z1. The 780 employs the spectral 32-channel QUASAR GaAsp detector allowing for spectral imaging, maximum sensitivity photon counting, and Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) as well as two adjacent PMTs.  The GaAsp detector has a detection range of 410 - 696 nm while the PMTs have a range from 415 - 735 nm. The accompanying incubation system, which encloses the microscope, offers stable environmental conditions with temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide control. This microscope is also equipped with a Becker-Hinkl Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) detector on a nondescanned detection port, particularly useful for detection of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) based probes.

Lasers Objectives
 405 nm and 440 nm Diode  10x/0.45 W C-Apochromat
 458, 488, and 514 nm Argon  20x/0.8 Plan-Apochromat
 561 nm  Diode Pumped Solid State (DPSS)  40x/1.2 W C-Apochromat
 633 nm Helium Neon (HeNe)  40x/1.3 Oil Plan-Neofluar
720 - 950 nm Coherent Chameleon tunable, software controlled, modelocked Ti:Sapphire laser for multi-photon excitation (NLO)  63x/1.4 Plan-Apochromat Oil

Collaborative PALM and diSPIM

Photo-Activated Localization Microscopy (PALM) super-resolution light microscopy is available through collaboration using a home-built, fully automated PALM imaging system in a CCAM associated laboratory. This system is built on ASI’s custom Rapid Automated Modular Mounting (RAMM) platform, uses 440, 515 and 594 nm (Coherent OBIS) laser lines, and is equipped with Hamamatsu sCMOS cameras for image acquisition.
 
 
diSPIM (dual-view inverted Selective Plane Illumination Microscope) imaging system from ASI imaging Inc is available through collaboration in a CCAM associated laboratory for lightsheet imaging on the cellular as opposed to tissue scale.

Zeiss LightSheet - R1515

Zeiss LightSheet Z1 The Zeiss LightSheet is an advanced fluorescent microscope that allows you to image optical sections of large, live or fixed samples with virtually no bleaching or phototoxicity to the specimen.  The optics are equipped for water-based or cleared specimens and dual sCMOS, cooled cameras to provide high sensitivity, speed, 3-D imaging of live or fixed thick specimens. The extremely fast acquisition speeds allow you to capture large amounts of data within a fraction of the time compared to other imaging techniques.

Lasers Emission Objectives Excitation Objectives
 405 nm Diode 2.5x/0.12 Fluar 5x/0.1
 488 nm Diode 5x/0.16 EC Plan-Neofluar 5x/0.1
 561 nm  Diode 20x/1.0 Plan-Neofluar Clearing 10x/0.2
 633 nm Diode 20x/1.0 Plan-Apochromat Water 10x/0.2
The Translucene Biosystems imaging chamber, along with the 2.5x objective, allows for larger samples, and an ease for mounting samples. This chamber is also compatible with the 5x objective and can be used for imaging samples in higher refractive index buffers. lightsheet

AxioVert 200M - R1522

Zeiss AxioVert 200M

The Zeiss AxioVert 200M is a motorized, inverted microscope fitted with an incubation system for live cell imaging, providing heating, humidification, and carbon dioxide environmental conditions. The system is equipped with a pco.edge 4.2 sCMOS camera, with 95% quantum efficiency at 580nm, and 2048 (H) x 2048 (V) pixels.  The maximum from rate is 40 fps at full resolution. The scope is capable of phase and DIC microscopy and is fitted with a Lumencor Spectra 7, 6 LED light source for imaging with CFP, GFP, OFP/mCherry, and Cy5. MetaMorph software is used for the acquisition and analysis of data, including the ability to capture long-term, time series with multiple positions.

4 Panel transmitted light 3T3 cells
(When clicked, the video will open a new window. Duration: 43 seconds, Size: 11 MB. )

3 Day experiment, captured on this setup, observing 3T3 cells, in four different positions, was visualized using transmitted light and maintained with 5% carbon dioxide and 37-degree environmental conditions.

Imaris - R1510

Imaris User Terminal Imaris is a 64 bit computer with ImarisSurpass 3-D rendering and analysis software, MetaMorph, Photoshop, and Zeiss Zen Image Browser.
All software is available, with prior approval,  via remote access.

Fluorolog - R1513

Spectrofluorometer
The Horiba-Jobin Yvon Fluorolog is a dual-emission spectrofluorometer. The visible detector has an emission range of 290 nm - 850 nm while the IR detector has an emission range of 850 nm - 1600 nm. The system is capable of emission scans, where the excitation wavelength is fixed, while the emission monochromator scans the sample, and excitation scans, where the emission wavelength is fixed, while the excitation monochromator changes the incident light. The sample chamber can also be temperature-controlled.

CCAM Wet Lab - R1517

Tissue Culture HoodProvides tissue culture hood and tissue culture microscope, incubators, refrigeration, and bench space.