CLSM offers enhanced optical sectioning when compared to conventional (widefield) microscopy.

Benefits

• Additional image clarity by removal of out-of-focus signal
• Greater control of magnification ('zooming')
• Specialised live-cell fluorescence techniques:
  • FRAP (fluorescence recovery after photobleaching)
  • FLIP (fluorescence loss in photobleaching)
  • FRET (Förster resonance energy transfer)

Microscopes

There are eight dedicated CLSM systems available. All are inverted Leica systems of varying specifications, offering a range of functionality from 'entry-level'; to more advanced systems.

Features

• Lasers cover range of 405 - 633nm
• Imaging of blue, green, red and far-red fluorophores
• Phase contrast and/or DIC imaging.
• Spectrophotometer-based detection.
• Most have incubators for temperature control and CO₂ enrichment.
• Most have motorised stages for multi-site and 'mosaic' scanning
• Three have additional features for live cell/organism imaging:
  • Higher sensitivity detectors (HyD; GaAsP)
  • High-speed (resonant) scanners
  • Adaptive focus control (Confocals 8 and 9 only)

Other CLSM systems

CLSM imaging is also available on our multiphoton and STED/FLIM/FCS systems.

• Multiphoton:
  • Confocal imaging in upright orientation and with longer working distance objectives
• Super-resolution microscopy/Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM)/Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS):
  • Additional excitation wavelengths, 442nm and (tuneable) 470 - 670nm
  • Excitation-Emission scanning
  • Gated imaging options
  • The hybrid detectors on this system are ‘better’ than others. They are SMD HyDs for single molecule detection enabling photon counting applications like FLIM, but also have advantages for imaging as should be lowest noise.
• Hyvolution/Lightning
  • While HyVolution/Lightning is not a true super-resolution technique like STED it is more broadly applicable, providing significantly improved resolution (to ~140nm) with specimens prepared for standard confocal imaging.

Equipment