Mission
To provide researchers access to high-tech microscopy instrumentation through user training, assisted use, support for image processing, and consultation on sample preparation and experiment design.
Summary
The ADA Forsyth Institute Advanced Microscopy Core maintains four light microscopes listed below for use by interested researchers and offers the following services.
Services Offered
- Instrument training
- Independent access to instruments for trained users
- Assisted use of instruments with help of experienced microscopist
- Consultations for experiment design, sample prep, imaging strategy, image analysis, and writing methods for publications
- Accommodations for many sample types and imaging techniques including:
- Imaging cleared tissue with CLARITY system
- Zeiss Airyscan for fast, high-resolution imaging
- Time lapse and live cell imaging
- Bacteria labelling with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
- Multiplexed confocal imaging of 10 or more fluorophores simultaneously
- Near-infrared detection
- Imaging large tissue sections with epifluorescence, confocal, or color imaging
Equipment
Zeiss Axio Observer inverted microscope
Ideal for labeled or unlabeled samples, live cell imaging, and tile scanning of large tissues.
- Inverted, fully automated microscope
- Transmitted light techniques to visualize any sample (brightfield, DIC, phase contrast, polarized light)
- Perform epifluorescence using Colibri 2 LEDs and 4 filter sets (blue, green, red, far-red)
- Image with sCMOS camera for speed and high sensitivity
- Color camera for light absorbing dyes (eg. H&E)
- Perform live cell experiments with stage-top incubation system for temperature and CO2 control
Image over large areas with fast tile scanning
Zeiss LSM 980 confocal inverted microscope
Acquired with an NIH S10 award and installed in 2023, this is our facility’s workhorse.
- Excitation flexibility with 8 solid-state laser lines
- Detection flexibility with up to 36 simultaneous detector channels from 400-900nm including Near Infrared
- Image more than 10 fluorophores simultaneously with linear unmixing
- LSM Plus for improvement in signal and resolution
- AI Sample Finder for quick and easy sample location and navigation
- Zen Connect for correlating images across scales and modalities
- Collect Z-stacks for visualization and analysis of 3D structures
Zeiss LSM 780 confocal inverted microscope
- Older model of the LSM 980.Excitation flexibility with 7 laser lines
- Detection flexibility with up to 34 simultaneous detector channels from 400-800nm
- Spectral imaging and linear unmixing of up to 10 probes simultaneously
- Collect Z-stacks for visualization and analysis of 3D structures
Zeiss LSM 880 confocal upright microscope
ideal for imaging cleared samples and for gaining higher resolution.
- Excitation flexibility with 7 laser lines
- Detection flexibility between 400-800nm
- Airyscan detector for higher resolution and faster imaging
- 1.7x higher resolution and 4-8x higher signal compared to traditional confocal
- FAST mode for 4x faster acquisition
- 20x/1.0 dipping objective for imaging cleared specimens (RI=1.45), eg. CLARITY
- Temperature housing
- Collect Z-stacks for visualization and analysis of 3D structures
Image Analysis
The Core provides access to an offline workstation equipped with Imaris Microscopy Image Analysis Software and other open source software for conducting image processing and analysis.
Acknowledging the Core:
- Any publications including data acquired with the Zeiss LSM 980 microscope must cite the S10 award: “This work was supported by NIH grant 1S10OD034405-01 for the Zeiss LSM980, housed in the ADA Forsyth Institute Advanced Microscopy Core Facility (RRID:SCR_021121).”
- Publications including data acquired on any other Core equipment should acknowledge the Core: “Microscopy images were acquired at the ADA Forsyth Institute Advanced Microscopy Core Facility (RRID:SCR_021121).”
Zeiss Axio Observer inverted microscope
Zeiss LSM 980 confocal inverted microscope
Zeiss LSM 780 confocal inverted microscope
Zeiss LSM 880 confocal upright microscope
Contact
microscopy@forsyth.org
