Zeiss Lattice Light Sheet Microscope arrives at U-M

One of only four installations in the U.S., the Michigan Medicine Microscopy Core is now offering imaging by a Zeiss Lattice Light Sheet Microscope, thanks to funding by the Biosciences Initiative.

The microscope was installed Sept. 14.

Lattice light sheet uses a thin sheet of light (0.5-1.0 um waist) to rapidly and gently collect high-resolution fluorescence images with exquisite sub-cellular detail (100x total magnification). 

This system is designed for high-resolution, high-speed imaging of cell cultures and the superficial layers of small embryos. A typical live imaging application may be to image a 200 um x 200 um (xy) x 50 um (z) volume every few seconds for tens of minutes, with virtually no photobleaching or phototoxicity. 

This system’s speed is also useful for collecting 3D images of thin, clear, tissue slabs. 

The new system is an inverted configuration that images through a standard coverslip and will work with most coverslip-bottomed dishes. It is not designed for imaging very large volumes at cellular resolution. It is not a super-resolution technique, (though it can enable PAINT), and it is not equipped with adaptive optics.

Please plan for how your lab can benefit from the use of this new lattice light sheet microscope. 

The Microscopy Core’s long-term goal is to train users to use this system on their own.

However, due to COVID-19 and for the foreseeable future, please plan to bring your samples to the core and the core team will do the imaging while you watch via Zoom. There is a cell culture room next to the microscope that can house living cells or embryos for up to several days.

The system will be completely free until 2021! 

Please contact Microscopy Core Managing Director Aaron Taylor (aata@umich.edu) to further discuss how this new technology can be applied to your research.

Website: https://brcf.medicine.umich.edu/zeiss-lattice-light-sheet-microscope-installed-september-14th