Laser scanning confocal microscope with environmental chamber and resonance scanner (renewal)

• Subject Area: Basic Research in Biology and Medicine
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 584692451

As a temperature-, humidity-, and CO2-regulated upright system, the laser scanning confocal microscope at the Chair of Biophysics at FAU is by far our most important scientific instrument. It is used for high-resolution visualization of living cells in 3D tissues such as collagen, collagen derivatives, alginate, Matrigel, etc. We also examine artificial microtissues such as heart/skeletal muscle or tumor spheroid tissue, or tissue models for investigating fibrosis and immunomodulatory processes. The overarching goal of these applications of the laser scanning confocal microscope is to investigate cell-extracellular matrix interactions. Essential here is the ability to simultaneously visualize the extracellular matrix (ECM) and, in most cases, several cellular structures, e.g., cell nucleus, cell morphology, cytoskeleton, and adhesion apparatus, at sample depths of several hundred micrometers at high resolution. A particular strength of our existing system is the ability to visualize the ECM in reflection mode, i.e., label-free, without additional phototoxic stress on the cells. Another advantage of our system is that it is equipped with a high-resolution 20x/1.0NA water immersion “dip-in” objective with a working distance of two millimeters, which allows us to image large fields of view at subcellular resolution at high sample depth. The system is also equipped with an environmental chamber and a fast resonance scanner. The ability to visualize living cells and tissues simultaneously in fluorescence and reflection mode, at high resolution and great sample depth, at high speed over long periods of time, even on non-transparent material surfaces, is a unique feature of our system compared to other instruments at FAU campus. Part of the planned upgrade involves integrating deconvolution module, which improves subcellular imaging of rapidly migrating cells. Furthermore, the microscope will be expanded with a high-resolution differential interference contrast setup for label-free visualization of cells and ECM fibers. In addition to the upgrade, necessary repairs will also be carried out to ensure the long-term continued operation of the system. These include, in particular, the replacement of the argon laser with optical fiber and the repair of the scan head. Due to its flexibility, the confocal microscope has been used in a majority of studies and publications by our group, and is also used by numerous other collaborating researchers. These include, in particular, novel and highly cited biological and methodological studies on measuring force generation and morphodynamics of living cells in collagen and other hydrogels.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Konfokales Laser-Scanning-Mikroskop mit Klimakammer und Resonanzscanner (Erneuerung)
• Instrumentation Group: 5090 Spezialmikroskope
• Applicant Institution: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
• Leader: Professor Dr. Ben Fabry