Location: Room 224 Molecular and Radiological Biosciences (MRB) Building
Fully automated inverted laser scanning confocal microscope (Axio Observer 7) with superresolution capability and Definite Focus 3. The system has four diode lasers (405, 488, 561 and 640 nm) and differential interference contrast (DIC) optics with 10X, 20X, 40X, and 63X objectives. A motorized XYZ stage and environmental chamber with temperature, CO2/air and humidity control supports culture dishes, multi-well plates or slides. The system has two MA photomultipliers and one GaAsP Airyscan 2 photomultiplier detectors. The Airyscan 2 detector provides a combination of gentle superresolution imaging with high sensitivity. Airyscan 2 is an area detector consisting of 32 concentrically arranged detection elements. The confocal pinhole remains open, thus collecting more photons and resulting in much greater light efficiency. The multiplex mode allows for parallel pixel acquisition for faster frame rates, which facilitates observation of highly dynamic processes in living specimens. The system allows for photobleaching, photoactivation or photoconversion of user defined regions of interest while imaging, which is ideal for experiments such as FRAP. A Colibri 7 LED light source, filter sets and Axiocam 506 camera facilitate specimen visualization for quick identification of regions of interest before laser scanning confocal imaging. The microscope head is surrounded by a stabilization chamber (XLmulti S2 DARK Premium) that controls temperature and precludes room light from affecting the specimen or image acquisition. A full Zen Blue System Software package controls the microscope and contains a variety of analysis tools. The system is placed on a vibration isolation air table and connected to RAID storage.
For training and use of this equipment contact: Alisa Shaw, 970-443-5370 (alisa.shaw@colostate.edu)
Cost:
Training: $250 including 5 h of use.
Hourly: $20/h
Subscription: $400/ first month, $300 second month, then $210/month.
