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The GI operates two inverted confocal laser scanning microscopes (CLSM) with sensitive point detectors, multiple specific laser wavelengths and programmable long-term experiments (e.g. overnight, several days). Confocal microscopy is suitable for ‘optical segmentation’, which enables the acquisition of very thin layers in objects and the 3D reconstruction of spatial structures. Incubation with temperature, carbon dioxide and humidity regulation is available for one of the systems, as is ‘Lightning computational clearing’.

The GI operates a spinning-disc super-resolution microscope that offers a combination of speed, super-resolution (120 nm) and photobleaching (FRAP), as well as recording two channels simultaneously. A fully equipped incubation system enables live-cell imaging. This microscope can be used to study very fast, very small objects in living cells and also to measure molecular dynamics (for example, diffusion or mobile/immobile fractions) in desired regions of observed structures.

General Instrumentation has two advanced inverted widefield microscopes that are suitable for thinner samples or sections, for example, and are equipped with high-quality cameras to record larger areas or fast dynamics at high speed. These systems can be programmed to automatically make multiple and long-term recordings. In addition to filters for the typical fluorescence wavelengths, they are also equipped with phase contrast, differential interference contrast (DIC) and/or polarisation filters. Temperature incubation is available on both systems. One widefield microscope is equipped with ‘Thunder computational clearing’ to further increase image sharpness.

Secondly, we also have a relatively simple, upright widefield microscope for the usual fluorescence wavelengths as well as brightfield microscopy, which must be operated manually. This is equipped with a digital colour camera and a monochrome camera.

GI also offers a TIRF microscope, which in addition to typical widefield microscopy is also suitable for observing processes that are directly on top of the cover glass, within a layer of order size 100 nm. This technique can be useful when observing, for example, the cell membrane of living cells exclusively.

In addition to our systems specifically intended for widefield, our confocal microscopes can also be switched freely to widefield mode, where epifluorescence microscopy can be performed with standard excitation and emission filters.

A two-sided illuminating light sheet system with four typical laser wavelengths has been set up in our lab. The system is specifically suitable for 3D recordings of, among other things, entire living or fixed structures and organisms such as zebrafish larvae, young plants, or brain structures made transparent (iDisco) for which it is important that the laser exposure is minimised in terms of intensity and volume, and where sub-cellular resolution is less important. The samples can be observed in a wide spectrum of refractive indices, from water to organic solvents. The light sheet microscope can be used for combinations of tile scanning, time-lapse and/or rotational acquisition. Samples for observation can have a maximum size of 1 x 1 x 1 centimetre.