Confocal laserscanning microscope

我们正在为科隆大学的CECAD成像设施申请一台共聚焦显微镜，因为现有的共聚焦显微镜已经用完了，需要更换一台旧的共聚焦显微镜。我们的目标是一种快速和敏感的仪器，最适合于活细胞和活组织成像，因为在图像采集过程中光毒性低。孵化系统和硬件自动对焦都很重要。此外，希望能够在大的组织切片中导航，并具有良好的tile扫描功能。我们的一些主要用户需要一个分辨率为他们的实验，超过一个标准的共聚焦可以提供的分辨率。在这里，我们倾向于一种超越关闭针孔技术的技术，以避免剧烈的信号减少，并允许对活的和敏感的样品进行实验。此外，两个单光子敏感和时间分辨探测器被要求允许FCCS和扫描FCCS，这是一项迫切需要的技术，但迄今为止在科隆校区仍然缺乏。核心平台的显微镜不仅限于CECAD卓越集群，而是整个科隆大学和科隆Uniclinics以及邻近的研究所使用。去年，100个工作小组的300多名研究人员定期使用该设施进行研究。作为一个集中使用的平台，必须保持仪器的最先进水平，并提供足够的能力来满足日益增长的成像需求。只有这样，我们才能用我们的专业知识和基础设施以最好的方式进一步支持科学家，并使他们能够在国际水平上参与成像研究的竞争。因此我们急需我们所申请的共聚焦显微镜。

We are applying for a confocal microscope for the CECAD Imaging Facility at the University of Cologne since the available confocal microscopes are used to capacity and an old confocal microsocpe needs to be replaced. We are aiming for a fast and sensitive instrument best suited for live cell and live tissue imaging due to low phototoxicity during image acquisition. An incubation system as well as a hardware autofocus are important. In addition, the possibility to navigate within big tissue sections and a good tile-scanning function is wished for. Some of our main users are in need for a resolution for their experiments that exceeds the resoltuion a standard confocal can offer. Here, we favor a technique that goes beyond the technique of closing the pinhole to avoid drastic signal reduction and allow experiments of living and sensitive samples. In addition, two single-photon sensitive and time-resolved detectors are asked for to allow FCCS and scanning FCCS, a technique that is urgently needed but so far still missing at the Cologne campus.The microscopes of the core platform are not restricted to be used by the CECAD cluster of excellence but the whole University of Colgone and the Uniclinics Cologne as well as neighboring institutes. Last year, the facility was used by more than 300 researchers from 100 working groups on a regular basis for their research projects. As a centrally used platform it is essential to keep the instruments state-of-the-art and offer sufficient capacities to cover the growing demand for imaging. Only this will allow us to further support the scientists with our expertise and infrastructure in the best way possible and allow them to compete on an international level in their imaging research. Therefor we urgently need the confocal microscope we apply for.