Confocal laser scanning microscope

• Subject Area: Microbiology, Virology and Immunology
• Term: Funded in 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 507976068

The Campus Benjamin Franklin (CBF) is one of the three teaching and research campuses of Charité - University Medical Centre, one of the largest university hospitals in Europe. Since 2016, CBF has seen a profound scientific change with the arrival of a large number of externally funded and newly recruited groups, which require state-of-the-art microscopy to address their scientific questions. At the moment, there is no platform for intravital imaging at CBF. Additionally, the two confocal microscopes in the Institute of Clinical Physiology at CBF (one of which purchased in 2004 and is already displaying considerable technical defects) cannot cope with the current and future demands for confocal microscopy. The newly acquired STED microscope, is a super-resolution microscope and cannot be used as confocal microscope on a regular basis. The only operational confocal microscope at CBF is booked 24/7 and the waiting time for a booking is approximately 3 weeks. Travelling to another campus on a regular basis for confocal microscopy is inefficient and leads to significant loss in time, resources and money. Hence, an imaging platform for in vivo and in vitro microscopy is urgently needed. The requested confocal microscope will be equipped with a universal excitation source(s) and spectral detectors to cover from violet to near infrared spectrum, to allow multiplex imaging. The imaging system will give the freedom to choose excitation wavelengths to optimally characterise and excite fluorophores, reduce the cross-excitation of untargeted fluorophores in the biological sample and, hence, reduce bleed-through artefacts due to significant spectral overlap. Its excitation source(s) will be pulsed, to enable simultaneous fluorescence lifetime imaging to be used to better separate fluorophores or to better discriminate sample fluorescence signals. The extended range of spectral detection will allow implementation of new near infrared dyes, allowing more flexibility, and reduced phototoxicity. It will expand the portfolio of cutting edge in vivo and in vitro microscopy, needed for the various DFG-, ERC and BMBF-funded groups working at CBF. The confocal imaging system will be housed in the Institute of Microbiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology at CBF and will operate as an open facility (available to all research groups via the Open IRIS system).

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Konfokales-Laser-Scanning-Mikroskop
• Instrumentation Group: 5090 Spezialmikroskope
• Applicant Institution: Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin
• Leader: Dr. Efstathios Stamatiades