Cell Biology Leica Stellaris-8 with FALCON FLIM, external photoactivation laser and micromanipulator
We transferred our Leica SP-8 FALCON system tot the NKI BioImaging facility and replaced it by a Leica Stellaris- FALCON system. This system is fitted with OKO on-stage incubation system, a Piezo Z stage and adapted with an external UV laser (405 nm as well as 355 nm) for photoactivation of PA-GFP, PA-mCherry etc, as well as for uncaging compounds such as caged Calcium and caged cAMP (DMNB-caged cAMP).
We have an active collaboration with Leica Microsystems, Mannheim, in beta-testing and co-designing new functionality on fast FLIM detection, automation of microscopy and more. For this reason we often have beta-versions of the LAS-X software and of the FLIM software installed on the system, which provides functions that may or may not be furthered into a commercial product.
Lambert Instruments FD-FLIM:
Since 2007, we have been collaborating with Lambert Instruments and with prof. Ted Young (Delft University) and members of his group to optimize photon collection in frequency FLIM instrumentation. The Young lab designed and build a high-frequency modulated CCD camera that can record the phase images needed for FD-FLIM, and which contrary to classical designs with modulated image intensifiers does not waste photons.
Lambert Instruments designed a system around this camera which was marketed after 2015 and to date is still in use in our lab. See e.g. Raspe et al, Nat Methods. 2016. The system has been recently superseeded by a SPAD array system, for detailed information on this sytem see: