BrisSynBio has access to the confocal and light microscopy service provided by the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility in the Biomedical Sciences Building, and has helped fund the expansion of this centre and the aquisition of new microscopes.

Equipment available includes:

Super-continuum 'white-light' laser confocal microscope: providing the capability for live cell imaging. A supercontinuum white light laser facilitates full control over excitation and detection wavelength enabling spectral scanning and optimising detection of non-standard (including novel) fluorophores. Time-gating aids detection of fluorophores in complex environments and facilitates FLIM and FLIM-FRET to analyse the physicochemical environment of fluorophores and their interactions. A pulsed laser (470-670nm) also enables ‘LightGate’.

This is a tool to discriminate between fluorescence and reflection/scattering. In addition, 592nm and 660nm STED lasers enable double / triple labelling.

'Widefield for microfluidics' microscope: supporting timelapse imaging over hours or days. This microscope contains a high precision motorised stage for multi-site imaging, adaptive focus control to correct Z-drift, fluorescence and DIC/phase contrast, and two cameras. One has an extremely high sensitivity and a low signal to noise ratio and is used for optimising imaging of low signals, while the other has the highest resolution and higher field of view to optimise spatial information.

Lower-specification microscope: an additional microscope to provide extra capacity for widefield microscopy, including live cell and fixed imaging.

The microscopes are housed and operated by the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility, with the Confocal/FLIM/STED 'white-light' microscope and additional widefield microscope subject to access and charging in line with the other microscopes in the facility.

The 'widefield for microfluidics' microscope will be free at the point of use, with a "consumables-only" charging model for the core microfluidics projects, but will otherwise be charged for in line with the other microscopes. 

Equipment manager: Dr Mark Jepson