The Zeiss Elyra 7 is an inverted optical microscope designed to take advantage of the structured illumination (SIM) technique to increase the final resolution of the system, with a linear resolution reaching 100 nm. The microscope allows imaging using laser lines (406, 488, 560, and 640 nm) and a standard epifluorescence lamp using structured or wide-field illumination. A full range of objective is available: 4x air, 10x air, 20x air, 40x oil, 63x oil. SIM microscopy is generally considered a state-of-the-art choice for live imaging and accepts all types of slides and all common media for light microscopy. SIM reconstruction allows for an improvement of image resolution of about 2x on standard optical resolution.
This microscope is ideal for fluorescently labeled samples or samples expressing fluorescent proteins with a thickness <20 micrometers, such as cell lines, primary cultures, and thin sections. The reconstruction of images obtained in SIM (or Apotome in the case of the 20x) mode works best for cytoskeletal and punctate structures.
The microscope is in addition equipped with a temperature-, humidity- and CO2/O2 - controlled incubation chamber ideal for live imaging of stained (or fluorescent protein expressing) cells in medium. The microscope further allows usage in Total Internal Reflection (TIRF) mode.
Responsible for the instrument: Dr. Agnes Thalhammer (researcher working in the field of molecular and cellular Neurosciences since 1998, with extensive expertise with cell culture, immunocytochemistry, optical microscopy, live imaging and data analysis of optical images).
Availability
Location
Interdepartmental Center for Advanced Microscopy (CIMA) at the University of Trieste
Room 2, 31/A Fleming Street, Trieste
Access
The instrument is available for 15 percent of machine time for network activities.
Output examples
Top image, SIM superresolution image of neuronal cell. bottom image, SIM superresolution image of a muscle cell.
