Inverted confocal microscope for life science

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The replacement of an inverted confocal microscope is requested. It is planned to procure a versatile instrument that will serve the many diverse third-party funded projects in the field of cell- and membrane biophysics, teaching as well as general cell culture tasks. These include immunostaining of cells and biomimetic systems (cytoskeleton, membrane proteins), live cell imaging (wound healing, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition), measurements of diffusion, 3D imaging of organoids, high-resolution imaging of cytoskeletal networks (artificial and within cells), combination with an existing atomic force microscope, a nanomanipulator or microinjection setup. The participating research groups work on biomimetic systems such as vesicles, microcompartments, microgels, and solid-supported lipid membranes, as well as biological systems such as cell membranes, adherent cells, and organoids. Confocal fluorescence microscopy studies are minimal invasive to the samples being studied and the technique is relatively easy to extend to new experiments and samples covering a large parameter space. The demand for fluorescence microscopy in biophysical research studies has increased tremendously in recent years, so that there are hardly any projects in which fluorescence microscopy does not play a central role. The existing inverted confocal microscope of the Faculty of Chemistry has reached the end of its service life and must therefore be urgently replaced by a new device in order to ensure the continuation of a large number of research projects in the future. Furthermore, new developments in measurement and detector technology allow the design of new experiments, which cannot be performed with the existing equipment. Novel GaAsP detectors improve the signal-to-noise ratio by a factor of 2, which increases the possibilities for long-term measurements, the sensitivity and the quantifiability of the data. Techniques are available that offer increasing spatial resolution, while simultaneously improving sensitivity. This is especially important for delicate samples such as cytoskeletal filaments and living cells. In addition, methods like Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) and lifetime measurements (FLIM) are invaluable tools for the investigation of lipid and protein diffusion as well as to explore the mechanical properties of cell membranes with modern fluorophores that report on the tension of cells.