Vision Science Bioimaging Labs

Imaging equipment, expertise and protocols for biomedical, especially optometry and ophthalmology, research.

Equipment

Name	Make/Model	Details
Confocal laser scanning microscope LSM 5 Pascal (Carl Zeiss)	LSM 5 Pascal (Carl Zeiss)	Inverted microscope configuration. Laser illumination: 457/488/514/543/633 CW laser lines. Detectors: 2 x single confocal PMT epi-detectors, 1 x single non-confocal PMT non-descanned detector (transmission). Contrast modes: Brightfield, Phase Contrast (conventional transmission), epi-fluorescence.
Conventional fluorescence microscope	DM/AF6000 Microscope system (Leica Microsystems) with Neurolucida/StereoInvestigator cell reconstruction (Microbrightfield Inc)	Leica DM/AF6000 system: Fully PC controlled upright microscope for multi-channel imaging. Flexible illumination and filter options. Contrast modes: Bright field and DIC (transmission), epi-fluorescence. DFC 350 mono CCD camera. DM6000/MBF system: Accurate PC-controlled XYZ stage, neuron and general cell tracing/reconstruction including flexible wide-area tiling. Stereological analysis of morphological features. MBF CX9000 colour CCD camera.
Conventional fluroscence microscope DMRA2	DMRA2 (Leica Microscience)	Flexible illumination and filter options. Contrast modes: Bright field and Phase Contrast (transmission), epi-fluorescence. Full colour (RGB) 1.3 - 12 Mpixel microscanning firewire CCD camera
Cryostat (frozen section microtome)	CM3050S (Leica Microscience)	Motorized sectioning. Encapsulated microtome. Chamber temperature down to -40°C. Specimen temperature down to -50°C. Section thickness setting: 0.5 to 300 µm. Maximum specimen size: 55 x 70 mm. http://www.well.ox.ac.uk/cytogenetics/cryostat05.shtml
Inverted microscope with CCD camera	IX 71 (Nikon Instruments) + DFC 350 (Leica)	Basic inverted microscope with CCD camera operating with Twain driver through ImageJ. Contrast modes: brightfield, Phase contrast (transmission). Epi-fluorescence.
Microtome	HM325 (Microm)	Automatic trimming. Section feed 0.5 - 60um. Horizontal range up to 28mm. Vertical stroke 64mm.
Mulitphoton and confocal laser scanning microscope	LSM 510 META NLO (Carl Zeiss)	Fixed stage upright microscope configuration with PC-controlled motorised XYZ stage. Laser illumination: 457/477/488/514/543/633 CW laser lines, approx. 710 - 980nm 140fs 90MHz ultrafast laser. Detectors: 2 x single confocal PMT epi-detectors, 1 x 32 channel spectrally resolved confocal PMT epi-detector, 3 x single non-confocal PMT non-descanned detectors (flexible epi/trans configuration). Contrast modes: Brightfield, DIC (conventional transmission), fluorescence, SHG.
Optical Coherent Tomography instrument	Custom build OCT instrument	Custom design using ASE source operating at 1050nm to capitalise on reduced scattering at longer wavelengths (compared to commercial instruments at 800nmm). Both configurations are capable of automated 3D (volume) imaging and time-course data collection. 3D resolution approx 25um (lateral) x 10um (axial).
Sliding microtome and quick freezing attachment	HM440E + K400 (Mircrom)	Section thickness:1 - 100um (resolution 1 - 5um). Trimming range: 10 - 500um (<=10%). Movement: horizontal (knife) 200mm, vertical (specimen) 40mm. Freezing >= -35deg
Vibrating blade microtome	Vibroslice 752/M (Camden Instruments)	Motorised tissue transport