University of Colorado - Denver: Advanced Light Microscopy Core (ALMC)

The mission of the Advanced Light Microscopy Core is to facilitate labs from School of Medicine at University of Colorado Denver with access to advanced imaging research instrumentation at a reasonable price.

The ALMC can assist you with fluorescent and label-free imaging of various cellular structures or tissues in several ways including, but not limited to:

• Confocal Imaging – for obtaining crisp images with good z-resolution and for 3D imaging (diffraction limited resolution: 200nm in-plane and 500nm axial).
• TPE/SHG (two-photon excitation / second harmonic generation) Imaging – for visualization of collagen/elastin and weak auto-fluorescent label-free structures to depths that can exceed hundreds of ?ms.

TIRF (total internal reflection fluorescence) Imaging – for imaging and monitoring events happening on the cell membranes (<100nm depth).

• Real Time Confocal Imaging – for live cell imaging and monitoring fast dynamics within the cell, by using spinning disk confocal (up to 30fps).
• CARS (coherent anti-stokes raman spectroscopy) Imaging – for visualization of lipids, myelin and certain other label-free cellular components.
• FCS/FCCS (fluorescent (cross-)correlation spectroscopy) – for determining proteins diffusion properties, local concentration, size, binding and clustering.
• RICS/N&B (raster imaging correlation spectroscopy / number & brightness analysis) – for determining proteins diffusion properties, clustering and binding stoichiometry.
• Spectral detection imaging with un-mixing up to 8 different stains or fluorescent proteins spectra.
• FLIM (fluorescent lifetime imaging) – for imaging based on fluorophore photon emission rather than standard wavelength (“color”) imaging; for NADH/FAD and other intrinsic auto-fluorescence entities in cells or tissue
• FRET (förster resonance energy transfer) Imaging – for monitoring molecular interactions and proteins binding (FLIM-based FRET available).
• STED (stimulation emission depletion) super-resolution imaging with resolution beyond diffraction limit, down to 50nm in-plane resolution, two-channel for co-localization.
• Soon to have super-resolution localization 3D STORM/PALM instrument that can achieve 20nm in-plane resolution and 50nm axial resolution.
• Soon to have nSPIRO (modulation tracking) for super-resolution imaging of small moving objects (i.e. microvili, cilia, etc).