Light Microscopy service

The following microscopy imaging systems are available through the Light Microscopy service:

• laser scanning confocal microscopes LSM 510 (Zeiss) including a multiphoton system
• low light level digital systems (Universal Imaging Metamorph, Kinetic Imaging AQM and Molecular Devices Discovery-1)
• video microscopes
• UltraVIEW confocal imaging systems (Perkin Elmer)
• microinjection systems (Eppendorf).

Systems have been set up for high resolution 3D fluorescence imaging, spectral imaging, dynamic multi-field time-lapse observations of live cells in multiple fluorescence channels with optical sectioning using motorised focus. Microinjection is also available in combination with low light level digital time-lapse recording.

Image processing is provided for deconvolution (Huygens, SVI), colocalisation (our implementation in Mathematica, Wolfram Research, and a new module in LSM 510 Zeiss) and the extraction of morphometric data (our own software, Universal Imaging Metamorph and Kinetic Imaging).

Images or sequences of images can be presented using Volocity (Improvision), Imaris (Bitplane), Metamorph (Universal Imaging), AQM (Kinetic Imaging) and LSM 510 (Zeiss) as projections or AVI movies. Export formats are compatible with Photoshop (Adobe) and PowerPoint (Microsoft).

The distribution and translocation of fluorescently labelled objects such as cells or intracellular structures, can be analysed by automatic or interactive tracking followed by statistical analysis using our programmes implemented in Mathematica (Wolfram Research).

Daniel Zicha is head of the Light Microscopy laboratory. More information about the Light Microscopy laboratory can be viewed at http://science.cancerresearchuk.org/sci/lightmicro/