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Bioimaging Facility: Advanced Light Microscopy

The state of the art Bioimaging and Microscopy research and teaching facility in the Department of Biosciences is at the core of the Durham Centre for Bioimaging Technology and houses an extensive selection of imaging modalities

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GE Healthcare OMX V4.0

Location: Biosciences room 138

The system is an Applied Precision OMX BLAZE Super-Resolution microscope supplied by GE Healthcare. The microscope can use two light based modalities to achieve multichannel super-resolution (SRM) or sub-diffraction imaging below 200nm. The first is 3D-SIM (Structured illumination Microscopy) which provides an 8 fold improvement in volumetric resolution (xy 100nm by z 250nm) using a wide variety of common fluorophores at high frame rates allowing live cell SRM. Secondly the system is also equipped with Deltavision localisation microscopy, previously known as Monet, allowing techniques such as PALM and dSTORM which provide lateral resolution of 20-50nm, <100nm axial

 

3D-SIM BLAZE acquisition time: 16 3D-SIM sections (0.125nm, 2um) in 1 sec (240 images).

OMX Speed Calculator - OMX @ HMS

OMX Filter Spectra - OMX @ HMS

 

Lens N.A
Olympus UPlan FL N 40x Oil 1.3
Olympus UPlan S Apo 60x Silicone 1.3
Olympus PlanApo N 60x Oil 1.42

Structured Illumination Solid-state Laser Lines

405nm / 445nm / 488nm / 514nm / 568nm / 642nm

 

Emission filters are arranged in two filter set "drawers"

BGR  Filter Set Wavelength CYR Filter Set Wavelength
DAPI 436 / 31nm CFP 478 / 35nm
A488 / FITC 528 / 48nm YFP 541 / 22nm
A568 609 / 37nm A568 / mCherry 609 / 37nm
Cy5 683 / 40nm    

 

 

LensN.A
Olympus UPlan FL N 40x Oil 1.3
Olympus UPlan S Apo 60x Silicone 1.3
Olympus PlanApo N 60x Oil 1.42
Olympus TIRF 60x ApoN 1.49
Olympus TIRF 100x UApoN 1.49

 

Conventional Wide-field Light SourceExcitation Range
DAPI 381 - 410 nm
CFP 426 - 450 nm
FITC /GFP 461 - 493 nm
YFP 505 - 520 nm
A568 / mCherry 562 - 581 nm
Cy 5 638 - 653 nm

 

Emission filters are arranged in teo filter set "drawers"

BGR  Filter SetWavelengthCYR Filter SetWavelength
DAPI 436 / 31nm CFP 478 / 35nm
A488 / FITC 528 / 48nm YFP 541 / 22nm
A568 609 / 37nm A568 / mCherry 609 / 37nm
Cy5 683 / 40nm    

 

The OMX includes a novel Ring TIRF module - this rotates the laser beam rapidly at the back focal plane of the objective lens creating a highly uniform TIRF illumination.

TIRF mode is utilised for DeltaVision Localization Microscopy - capable of resolution ~20-30nm

Lens N.A
Olympus TIRF 60x ApoN 1.49
Olympus TIRF 100x UApoN 1.49

 

Conventional Wide-field Light Source Excitation Range
DAPI 381 - 410 nm
CFP 426 - 450 nm
FITC /GFP 461 - 493 nm
YFP 505 - 520 nm
A568 / mCherry 562 - 581 nm
Cy 5 638 - 653 nm

 

Emission filters are arranged in two filter set "drawers"

BGR  Filter Set Wavelength CYR Filter Set Wavelength
DAPI 436 / 31nm CFP 478 / 35nm
A488 / FITC 528 / 48nm YFP 541 / 22nm
A568 609 / 37nm A568 / mCherry 609 / 37nm
Cy5 683 / 40nm