NEW CONFOCAL MICROSCOPE SYSTEM FOR THE ENGLERT LAB

The Englert Cell Analysis Laboratory (the flow cytometry and fluorescence imaging resource of the NCCC) has received an NIH Shared Instrumentation Grant for the purchase of a new confocal microscope system. The instrument was installed in the Laboratory during the last week in June and is now being used by Cancer Center scientists.

Specifications:

• A Zeiss LSM 510 Meta Laser Scanning Confocal Microscope System
• Laser excitation lines: 405, 458, 477, 488, 514, 543, 633 nm
• Photodetectors: two conventional photomultiplier tubes and one "meta" detector. The meta detector is a polychromatic multichannel detector which captures spectral information from the emitted fluorescence. With the meta detector, the instrument can store eight channels of fluorescence simultaneously (that is, cells can be imaged that have been stained with eight different fluorochromes). In addition, because the meta detector captures spectral information, fluorochromes with closely similar spectra (like fluorescein and GFP) can be distinguished.
• Microscope: an inverted Zeiss Axiovert 200
• Accessories: X/Y motorized stage; heated stage and heated objectives for live cell imaging

Note: This equipment replaces the old Bio-Rad confocal system used in the Flow Cytometry and Fluorescence Imaging Shared Resource.