PerkinElmer Spinning Disk Confocal

  • The PerkinElmer UltraView VoX confocal spinning disk system is optimized for rapid live-cell imaging in four dimensions (x, y, z and time).
  • The system produces high signal-to-noise ratio images with minimal photobleaching.
  • It is equipped with a Yokogawa CSU-X1 spinning disk scanhead (5000 rpm), six solid-state lasers ( 405, 440, 488, 515, 561, 640nm), a 512x512 Hamamatsu EMCCD camera, a Tokai Hit environmental chamber with temperature, humidity, and C02 control, a motorized x-y stage, piezo-z, and a PhotoKinesis unit for FRAP and photo-activation/conversion. 

New Users

Faculty and students who wish to use the microscope should follow the instructions in the New Users Guide. Training takes ~2 to 3 hrs, with additional mandatory follow-up sessions. Users are encouraged to bring their own samples to the training session. If none are available, prepared slides will be used.

Policy

The microscope is available to trained users on an equal basis. An individual user may reserve one four hour block of time during "peak" daytime hours, and an additional 6 "off-peak" hours (all other times). Investigators performing live cell imaging experiments may signup for 12-14 hours blocks of time after 6pm.

For a comprehensive list of policies (including BSL-2 protocols), please see the Facility SOP.

Rates

The rate schedule applies to different users and is current for the 2017/2018 academic year. Fees are used to help cover the cost of the service contract on the microscope, and to help pay for materials such as lens paper, lens cleaning solution and mercury bulbs.

System Specifications

Microscope Stand
Nikon TI inverted
Illumination
Lasers: 405, 440, 488, 514, 561, 640nm
Emission
445w60, 485w60, 525w50, 550w49, 615w70, 705w90
Light detector
512x512 Hamamatsu EMCCD. Up to ~57 frames per second with 1ms exposure. Resolution (microns per pixel): 20x: 0.717, 40x: 0.36, 60x oil: 0.234, 100x: 0.14.
Objective Lenses
10x phase, 20x 0.75NA, 40x 1.3NA oil, 60x 1.4NA oil, 100x 1.49NA oil, 60x 1.2NA water
Incubation
Tokai Hit stage-top incubator with temperature, humidity, CO2 control. Can accommodate 35mm dishes, chambered coverglass, and 3, 6, 12-well plates.
X-Y Stage
Motorized
Software
Volocity Acquisition, Visualization, Quantitation software modules

References

Imaging Incubator Protocols:
Useful Links:

Contact Us

Dr. Aleksandr Smirnov
Associate Research Scientist
Institute for Physical Sciences  & Technology (IPST)
University of Maryland, College Park
asmirnov@umd.edu