The OBC provides access to state-of-the-art light microscopes (confocal, mesoscale lightsheet, and Super Resolution), as well as software for 3D and 4D analysis. All instruments are accessible 24/7 to trained researchers of laboratories across the campus and the local research community. All researchers are trained by Dr. Adeela Syed with additional imaging support provided as needed.

October 2023 –

We are excited to share some important updates and upcoming events for the month of October! Our renovations are almost complete, and with that we are gearing up to hold more workshops & trainings. Please see below what we have for the month of October: 

  1. The new LSM 980 with Airyscan 2/two-Photon Laser is installed and ready for training new users beginning of October

    • Inverted laser-scanning system that features the Airyscan 2 super-resolution detector which enables up to 90-nm resolution with Airyscan Joint Deconvolution
    • SR-4Y and SR-8Y multiplex modes for fast parallel imaging at frame rates of up to 47 fps
    • A 34-channel spectral array consisting of a 32-channel GaAsP PMT spectral detector and two multi-alkali PMTs, two internal GaAsP PMT detectors
    • Features FLIM, FCS, and photon-counting experiments,
    • 2 external non-descanned GaAsP PMT detectors for deeper two-photon microscopy 
    • Temperature and CO2 control
    • six visible laser lines for single-photon excitation, and the tunable Ti:sapphire laser for two-photon excitation.

  2. Lunch and Learn with ZEISS Axioscan 7 Automated Imaging: October 4, 2023 in Nat Sci 1, 1114

    • Automated Slide Digitization: Axioscan 7 allows for reliable and reproducible slide digitization in an automated and unattended manner.
    • Exceptional Image Quality: Capture high-quality whole slide images in both brightfield and fluorescence, enabling detailed analysis of your samples.
    • Multiplex Fluorescence Imaging: Utilize Axioscan 7 to extract more information from your precious samples through multiplex fluorescence imaging, incorporating 6-7 colors.

  3. LFD Workshop: Advanced Fluorescence Imaging and Dynamics – October 23–27, 2023

    • Dynamic Imaging Techniques: The workshop at the Laboratory for Fluorescence Dynamics (LFD) will delve into the latest dynamic imaging techniques, including RICS and FLIM, ensuring you are well-versed in cutting-edge research methodologies.

August 2023 – LSM 980 with Airyscan NLO with FLIM is finally here! With our recent S10 award the OBC just installed a new LSM 980 with Airyscan, this system will be fully loaded for 2 photon imaging,  with a dual channel external NDD for deeper imaging, FLIM, 32 channel spectral detector and environmental chamber for live imaging

March 2022 – Elyra SIM2 imaging/processing

The OBC is excited to announce that the Elyra 7 Lattice SIM now has SIM2! Lattice SIM² gives double the conventional SIM resolution and discriminate the finest sub-organelle structures, even those no more than 60 nm apart. With Lattice SIM², the Elyra 7 allows for both super-resolution and high-dynamic imaging – without the need for special sample preparation

Click here for more on ZEISS Elyra 7 with Lattice SIM²

October 2021 – LSM 900 with Airyscan 2

The OBC is excited to announce that the LSM 900 with Airyscan 2 is installed and ready for use! The LSM 900 Airyscan gives up 120nm resolution, can image in “multiplex” mode to scan 4x faster and has “sample navigator” for taking a quick overview image of your sample for tiling and multi-position imaging.

Click here for more on Airyscan 2 and other features of the LSM 900!

July 1st, 2021

Congratulations to Dr. Sunil Gandhi and Ricardo Azevedo (MSTP student) for being featured in the NIH Director’s Fourth of July blog post. It’s fun to watch!

This video makes use of the optical clearing technology and the Z1 light sheet microscope at the OBC! We’re all excited and proud to see the great science being done at UC Irvine being highlighted!

Celebrating the Fourth with Neuroscience Fireworks

 

The Optical Biology Center is a Shared Resource Facility to provide researchers access to resources, including state of the art instrumentation and technical support, to conduct biomedical research.

All publications with data acquired from any of the equipment in the OBC must have the following cited in the acknowledgements sections: “This study was made possible in part through access to the Optical Biology Core Facility of the Developmental Biology Center, a shared resource supported by the Cancer Center Support Grant (CA-62203) and Center for Complex Biological Systems Support Grant (GM-076516) at the University of California, Irvine.”

Confocals: Zeiss LSM 780, LSM 900, Leica Sp8, LSM 700

Super resolution: Elyra 7 with Lattice SIM² and SMLM

Mesoscale Light-sheet: Zeiss Z1 (Cover image of whole mouse brain expressing Thy1-EGFP, ChAT-tdTomato and imaged on the Z1 lightsheet, is courtesy Ricardo Azevedo, MSTP and Professor Sunil Gandhi, PhD)

Software: Imaris 3D/4D, Imaris Stitcher, Arivis Vision 4D, Huygens SVI

For training contact Dr. Adeela Syed 

SUPPORT FOR CONFOCAL USERS

Rahul Warrior PhD, OBC Director

rwarrior@uci.edu

Adeela Syed PhD, OBC Manager

Hours: ~9:30am to 4:00pm and by appt.

You can contact Adeela via email (adeelas@uci.edu), or phone (949-824-3856)