Microscopy

The SBS Microscopy facility provides a variety of microscopes and services to support the imaging needs of researchers. The facility offers assisted use and training on our equipment and consultations on microscopy related research.

It is open to all NTU faculty, staff and students as well as external users.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Location of Facility

School of Biological Sciences
02S-071
Contact Details
(For discussion on services and collaborations)
(Dr) Lai Soak Kuan
Email Address: [email protected]
(for charges and enquiries)

TYPES OF MICROSCOPES AVAILABLE

Zeiss LSM 710 Confocal

DESCRIPTION The Zeiss LSM710 system is an inverted point-scanning microscope that is ideal for research in cell and molecular biology. It provides great sensitivity and low background noise during image acquisition. With the Airyscan detector, one can achieve 1.7x higher resolution in all three spatial dimensions. It is suitable for 3D optical sectioning/z-sectioning, co-localization studies, live cell imaging, photoactivation or photobleaching experiments such as Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) and Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET).

SPECIFICATIONS
Microscope Body
  • Axio Observer.Z1
  • Environmental Chamber for temperature control

Objectives
  • EC Plan-NeoFluar 10x/0.30
  • EC Plan-NeoFluar 20x/0.50
  • EC Plan-NeoFluar 40x/1.30 Oil DIC
  • Plan-Apochromat 63x/1.40 Oil DIC
  • EC Plan-NeoFluar 100x/1.3 Oil

Light Source
  • Halogen lamp for transmitted light
  • X-Cite 120 illuminator for reflected light
Lasers
  • Argon (458,488,514nm)
  • HeNe 633nm
  • DPSS 561nm
  • Diode 405nm

Filter Sets
Filter setExEm
Zeiss Filter set 38 (GFP) BP 470/40 BP 525/50
Zeiss Filter set 43 (dsRed) BP 550/25​​ BP 605/70
Zeiss Filter set 49 (DAPI) G365nm BP 445/50

Detectors
  • 2 standard PMTs
  • Airyscan detector

Software
  • Zen 2.1 (black)

Zeiss LSM 510 Confocal

DESCRIPTION The Zeiss LSM510 meta system is an inverted point-scanning microscope that is ideal for most standard fluorescent microscopy applications. This system features a variable pinhole that can be controlled to eliminate out-of-focus light and has the ability to collect serial optical sections from thick specimens.

SPECIFICATIONS
>Microscope Body
  • Axiovert 200M

Objectives
  • Plan-NeoFluar 10x/0.30
  • Plan-Apochromat 20x/0.6 Ph2
  • LD Achroplan 40x/0.6 corr Ph2
  • Plan-Apochromat 63x/1.40 Oil DIC
  • Plan-NeoFluar 100x/1.3 Oil Ph3

Light Source
  • Halogen lamp for transmitted light
  • HBO100 for reflected light
Lasers
  • Argon (458,488,514nm)
  • HeNe 543nm
  • HeNe 633nm
  • Diode 405nm

Filter Sets
Filter setExEm
Zeiss Filter set 01 (Blue) BP 365/12 LP 397
Zeiss Filter set 09 (Green) BP 450-490 LP 515
Zeiss Filter set 15 (​Red) BP 546/12 LP 590

Detectors
  • 3 photodetectors, namely the meta detector (polychromatic detector) and 2 conventional photomultiplier tubes.
Software
  • Zen 2009

Zeiss Laser TIRF3

DESCRIPTION
The Zeiss Laser TIRF3 system is well suited for visualization of structures or molecular processes at or near cell membranes via the Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) principle. When properly configured, this imaging technique can result in narrow imaging depths of less than 100 nm from a glass-specimen interface. Single molecule dynamic processes in cell-free systems may also be observed.

SPECIFICATIONS
Microscope Body
  • Axio Observer.Z1

Objectives
  • EC Plan-NeoFluar 10x/0.30
  • a-Plan Apochromat 100x/1.46 Oil DIC

Light Source
  • Halogen lamp for transmitted light
  • HXP120 for reflected light
  • Solid state laser 488nm and 561nm

Filter Sets
Filter setExEm
Zeiss Filter set 52 BP 488/10 BP 525/50
Zeiss Filter set 74 DBP 480/30 DBP 525/31
Zeiss Filter set 86 BP 556/25 BP 630/98

Detectors
  • EMCCD Evolve 512

Software
  • Zen blue

Zeiss Lightsheet Z.1

DESCRIPTION
The Zeiss Lightsheet imaging system enables you to obtain optical sections of large samples, with virtually no phototoxicity or bleaching and with high temporal resolution and very fast rates.

This system is suitable for performing:
  • Fluorescence imaging of spatio-temporal patterns within cells during embryogenesis of model organisms such as Zebrafish and Drosophila melanogaster.
  • Fast imaging of cellular dynamics in embryos and small organisms like cell migration, cardiac development, blood flow, calcium imaging etc.
  • Live imaging of 3D cell cultures, spheroids, cysts, tissue and organotypic cultures.
  • Imaging of optically cleared specimens

SPECIFICATIONS
Microscope Body
  • Axio Observer.Z1

Objectives
  • Lightsheet Z.1 10x/0.2 (illumination)
  • W Plan-Apochromat 40x/1.0
  • W Plan-Apochromat 63x/1.0
Light Source
  • Solid state laser 405nm, 488nm and 561nm

Detectors
  • CCD camera

Software
  • Zen 2014 SP1 (black edition)

Zeiss Live Cell Observer

DESCRIPTION
The Zeiss Live Cell Observer system is an inverted widefield fluorescence microscope. It is equipped with a temperature-controlled incubation system suitable for live cell time-lapse imaging experiments.

SPECIFICATIONS
Microscope Body
  • Axiovert 200M

Objectives

Light Source
  • halogen lamp for transmitted light
  • X-cite 120 illuminator for reflected light

Filter Sets
Filter set​​ExEm
Zeiss Filter set DAPI
BP 445/50

Zeiss Filter set GFP BP 470/40 BP 525/50
Zeiss Filter set TRITC BP 550/25 BP 605/70
Zeiss filter set Cy5 BP 640/30 BP 690/50

Detectors
  • CCD camera

Software
  • Axiovision 4.8
  • software
  • Plan-Neofluar 10x/0.3
  • Plan-Neofluar 20x/0.5
  • LD Plan-NeoFluar 40x/0.6
  • Plan-Apochromat 63x/1.4 Oil DIC4

Zeiss Live Cell Observer II

DESCRIPTION
The Zeiss Live Cell Observer system is a state-of-the art inverted widefield fluorescence microscope. It is equipped with a temperature-controlled CO2 incubation system for live cell time-lapse imaging experiments. Suitable for tile and multi-position imaging.

SPECIFICATIONS
Microscope Body
  • Axio Observer.Z1
  • Environmental Chamber for temperature control

Objectives
  • EC Plan-NeoFluar 10x/0.30
  • EC Plan-NeoFluar 20x/0.50
  • EC Plan-NeoFluar 40x/0.75
  • Plan-Apochromat 63x/1.40 Oil DIC
  • Plan-Apochromat 100x/1.4 Oil

Light Source
  • Halogen lamp for transmitted light
  • X-Cite 120 illuminator for reflected light

Filter Sets
Filter setExEm
Zeiss Filter set 38 (GFP) BP 470/40 BP 525/50
Zeiss Filter set 43 (dsRed) BP550/25BP 605/70
Zeiss Filter set 49 (DAPI)
G365nm BP 445/50
Zeiss filter set 50 (Cy5) BP 640/30 BP 690/50

Detectors
  • Zeiss AxioCam 503 Mono
  • Zeiss AxioCam ICc 1 (color camera)


Zeiss Stereo Lumar V12

DESCRIPTION
Zeiss Stereo Lumar V12 is a fully automated stereoscope with fluorescence capabilities. It allows imaging of whole small animals (e.g. Zebrafish and c. elegans), as well as cell cultures in petri dishes. Magnifications range is equivalent to ~1-12x, with variable zoom.

SPECIFICATIONS
Microscope Body
  • Zeiss Lumar.V12 stereoscope body

Objectives
  • Neo Lumar S 0.8x

Light Source
  • Transmitted and reflected light source
  • HBO100 fluorescence arc lamp

Filter Sets
  • Zeiss Filter set 38 (GFP)
  • Zeiss Filter set 20 (Rhodamine)
  • Zeiss Filter set 01 (UV)

Detectors
  • Zeiss AxioCam MRm

Nikon Microinjector

DESCRIPTION
The microinjector arm module is installed on the Nikon TE2000U microscope. This system is suitable for micromanipulation and microinjection applications.

SPECIFICATIONS
Microscope Body
  • Nikon TE2000U

Objectives
  • Plan Fluor 10x/0.3
  • Plan Fluor 20x/0.45
  • LWD 20x/0.4
  • Plan Fluor 40x/0.6
  • LWD 40x/0.55
  • Plan Fluor 60x/0.7

Light Source
  • Mercury lamp

Excitation wavelengths
  • 457nm, 488nm, 514nm
  • 561nm
  • 633nm

DESCRIPTION

The LSM 980 Airyscan 2 is an ideal platform for fast, gentle, super-resolution imaging. It is built on a fully motorized Axio Observer 7 inverted microscope stand with Z-peizo, environmental chamber with temperature control and uses the ZEN Blue 3.4 software for acquisition and analysis. It is equipped with a 32 channel GaAsP detector, 2 PMTs and an Airyscan 2 detector. The multiplex mode can perform parallel pixel acquisition, which can accelerate acquisition speed, up to 8x faster than normal confocal imaging.

 SPECIFICATIONS

Microscope body

  • Axio Observer 7
  • Environmental Chamber for temperature control

 Objectives

  1. EC Plan-NeoFluar 2.5x/0.085
  2. Plan-Apochromat 10x/0.45
  3. Plan-Apochromat 25x/0.8
  4. Plan-Apochromat 40x/1.30 Oil DIC
  5. Plan-Apochromat 63x/1.40 Oil

 Light Source

  • Halogen lamp for transmitted light
  • X-Cite 120 illuminator for reflected light
  • Lasers:

- Diode Laser 405nm,445nm,488nm,514nm,639nm

- DPSS laser 561nm, 594nm

 Detectors

  • 32 channel GsAsp detector
  • 2 standard PMTs
  • Airyscan 2 detector

 Software

  • Zen 3.4

WORKSTATION

IMARIS workstationDESCRIPTION
The IMARIS single full software is installed on this workstation. This program allows the visualisation, analysis and interpretation of microscopy data. With IMARIS, you can perform automated spots and surface detection, cell segmentation, motion tracking, co-localisation and cell lineage studies etc.