BAIR equipment
- Confocal Microscopes
- Widefield Microscopes
- Timelapse Microscopes
- Super-resolution Microscopes
- Multiphoton Microscopes
- High-Content Analysis
- FLIM/FRET
- Specialised Techniques
- In Vivo Imaging
- Other Equipment
- Analysis
Confocal Microscopes
Confocal microscopy is a very powerful tool and has many advantages over wide-field fluorescent microscopy. The use of a pinhole enables the user to eliminate the out of focus light and permits optical sectioning of cell or tissue samples. BAIR supports a number of standard and super-resolution confocal systems, which are also coupled to advanced technologies such as FLIM/FRET, TIRF or in vivo imaging.
Zeiss LSM 880 with Airyscan
The Zeiss LSM 880 with Airyscan is a super-resolution-capable confocal microscope. The 'Airyscan' detector delivers increased resolution (1.7x) with high sensitivity at around 140nm laterally and 400nm axially. The 'Airyscan Fast' mode increases scanning speeds by a factor of 4. This allows users to image at a higher speed without sacrificing sensitivity or resolution. It has a full cage environmental chamber for live cell imaging and is also suitable for photoactivation, FRAP and FCS.
Airyscan Principle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjKrLTHGnc8
Airyscan Fast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln6VUmLzLLc
Savvas Nikolaou |
Nikki R. Paul |
Zeiss LSM 710
The Zeiss LSM 710 is equipped with the Zeiss Quasar detector configured with 2, 3 or 34 channels. Built around a Zeiss Axioimager upright stand the system is primarily for fixed samples. It is suitable for a wide range of applications including imaging of quadrupled labelled specimens, colocalisation of proteins, and 3D imaging experiments.
Joe Hodgson |
Nikki R. Paul |
Nikon A1R
A fully automated, highly sensitive confocal microscope system, the Nikon A1R is built around a Nikon Ti Eclipse microscope with (Perfect Focus System) PFS. The system has a full cage environmental chamber and is therefore suitable for live cell timelapse imaging.
The Nikon A1R has two scanning systems: Firstly, there is a conventional sawtooth scanning system – galvano, which is used for high-resolution imaging where speed is not essential. Secondly, there is a fast resonant scanner, which is used for applications where the need for speed outweighs the need for high resolution. The two scanning systems can be operated in rapid succession or simultaneously. This system is therefore also suitable for photoactivation and FRAP experiments.
Amelie Juin
Widefield Microscopes
The Beatson Institute is equipped with a wide range of microscopes for multiple applications. These can be used for imaging tissues, cells or even nanoparticles such as exosomes. Microscopy techniques can also be coupled and complementary to other advanced technologies such as proteomics and metabolomics.
Olympus BX51
The BX51 microscope is a widefield system available for bright field and fluorescence observation methods. It is a non-motorised upright microscope system which is used primarily for fixed histological tissue sections and cells. It is also used for fixed fluorescently labelled samples.
http://olympus.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/lightpaths/bx51fluorescence/index.html
Nanosight LM10
The Nanosight LM10 allows rapid and accurate analysis of the size distribution and concentration of all types of nanoparticles from 10nm to 2000nm in diameter, depending on the instrument configuration and sample type. The nanosight can be used to detect exosomes and microvesicles which are secreted from cells and tissues.
Timelapse Microscopes
BAIR supports a range of long-term live-cell imaging microscopes with both manual and automated setups and analysis software.
Nikon Long-Term Timelapse (1/3/4)
BAIR has three Nikon TE 2000 Live-Cell Timelapse microscope systems with temperature control, CO2 and the Perfect Focus System (PFS). These systems are frequently used to image cell migration or cell division using phase/brightfield over time, and can also be used to detect fluorescent dyes or proteins.
Incucyte S3 (1/2/3/4)
The Incucyte S3 Live-Cell Imaging systems are automated microscopes that fit within tissue culture incubators. This permits long-term analysis of 2D and 3D cultures in multiple culture plate formats. The Incucyte S3 systems can also be used to detect fluorescent proteins or dyes, which are often used to measure cell proliferation and apoptosis. In combination with the WoundMaker tool, the Incucyte S3 systems are often used to monitor Scratch Wound Cell Migration over time in a 96-well plate format. The Incucyte S3 has additional software modules such as the Spheroid analysis module, which permits measurement of 3D tumouroids and organoids over time.
https://www.essenbioscience.com/en/products/incucyte/incucyte-s3/
Super-resolution Microscopes
Zeiss LSM 880 with Airyscan
The Zeiss LSM 880 with Airyscan is a super-resolution-capable confocal microscope. The 'Airyscan' detector delivers increased resolution (1.7x) with high sensitivity at around 140nm laterally and 400nm axially. The 'Airyscan Fast' mode increases scanning speeds by a factor of 4. This allows users to image at a higher speed without sacrificing sensitivity or resolution. It has a full cage environmental chamber for live cell imaging and is also suitable for photoactivation, FRAP and FCS.
Airyscan Principle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjKrLTHGnc8
Airyscan Fast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln6VUmLzLLc
Savvas Nikolaou |
Nikki R. Paul |
Zeiss Multiphoton 880
The Zeiss Multiphoton 880 with Airyscan is a super-resolution-capable confocal microscope. This system is in an upright configuration, and is suited to in vivo imaging of e.g. skull/brain, lung sections and abdominal organs with the use of vacuum windows.
Frederic Fercoq |
Amanda Mcfarlane |
Elyra 7
The Zeiss Elyra 7 with Lattice SIM is a laser-based widefield microscope that permits rapid acquisition, coupling super-resolution microscopy with high speed. This microscope is already proving useful in a number of projects, including live-cell imaging of microtubule dynamics, intracellular trafficking, mitochondrial localisation and 3D imaging of Drosophila. In addition to Structured Illumination, this microscope is capable of fast optical sectioning in Apotome mode, and Single Molecule Localisation Microscopy (SMLM) using STORM or 3D-PALM. The recent SIM2 upgrade allows even faster acquisition and higher resolution processing. To date this is the only Elyra 7 microscope in Scotland and is already fostering collaborations between the Beatson Institute and other Universities.
Multiphoton Microscopes
Zeiss Multiphoton 880
The Zeiss Multiphoton 880 with Airyscan is a super-resolution-capable confocal microscope. This system is in an upright configuration, and is suited to in vivo imaging of e.g. skull/brain, lung sections and abdominal organs with the use of vacuum windows.
Frederic Fercoq |
Amanda Mcfarlane |
Trimscope 2
The LaVision TRIM microscope is a high-resolution multiphoton system able to image small groups of cells down to the level of subcellular structure and generate three-dimensional reconstructions. It is capable of fast and sectioned FLIM, as well as detecting second-harmonic generation (SHG).
This system is capable of in vivo imaging using e.g. abdominal or mammary windows. In addition, this system has dual channel FLIM detectors so can do simultaneous FLIM measurements of CFP and GFP-based biosensors.
High-Content Analysis
Opera Phenix
The Opera Phenix is a high-throughput confocal microscope primarily used for high-content screening and phenotype analysis. The system supports automated plate loading and image acquisition. The Opera Phenix is particulary advanced in 3D imaging of cells, organoids, spheroids and tissues. Coupled to Harmony/Columbus analysis software, the Opera Phenix can generate large amounts of data suitable for bioinformatics and machine learning.
FLIM/FRET
Andor SD FLIM
The Andor Revolution XD is built around a Nikon Ti- inverted microscope. This system has a Yokogawa CSU-X spinning disc confocal unit with a disk speed that supports up to 2,000 frames per second. The Lambert Instruments FLIM Attachment for lifetime imaging microscopy is a dedicated system that allows rapid image acquisition and generation of lifetime images in the frequency domain. To achieve this the system uses a modulated light source and a modulated image intensifier as a detector.
Trimscope 2
The LaVision TRIM microscope is a high-resolution multiphoton system able to image small groups of cells down to the level of subcellular structure and generate three-dimensional reconstructions. It is capable of fast and sectioned FLIM, as well as detecting second-harmonic generation (SHG).
This system is capable of in vivo imaging using e.g. abdominal or mammary windows. In addition, this system has dual channel FLIM detectors so can do simultaneous FLIM measurements of CFP and GFP-based biosensors.
Specialised Techniques
Nanosight LM10
A Nanosight LM10 allows rapid and accurate analysis of the size distribution and concentration of all types of nanoparticles from 10nm to 2000nm in diameter, depending on the instrument configuration and sample type. The nanosight can be used to detect exosomes and microvesicles which are secreted from cells and tissues.
In Vivo Imaging
Zeiss Multiphoton 880
The Zeiss Multiphoton 880 with Airyscan is a super-resolution-capable confocal microscope. This system is in an upright configuration, and is suited to in vivo imaging of e.g. skull/brain, lung sections and abdominal organs with the use of vacuum windows.
Frederic Fercoq |
Amanda Mcfarlane |
Other Equipment
Tissue Culture Microscopes
BAIR supports a number of tissue culture microscopes throughout the Beatson Institute. All these microscopes can be used to visualise fluorescent proteins in cells, and are coupled to a PC and camera.
Flow Cytometry
Please contact Tom Gilbey for information of the flow cytometry equipment and analysis software.
Histology
Please contact Colin Nixon for information of the Histology and Immunohistochemistry services and imaging.
Analysis
The BAIR Centre for Analysis and Visualisation of Experimental data is a dedicated analysis suite which gives users access to high-performance computers and both licenced and open-source software.
Software includes:
- Fiji
- Imaris
- Icy
- Harmony
- Zen
- NIS Elements
- Incucyte
- Cell Profiler
- QuPath
- Metamorph
- Flowjo