Confocal Microscopy in the APU
Confocal microscopy is a method of obtaining 'thin' optical sections which
are not blurred by out-of-focus light from planes of focus above and below the
point of interest. Essentially, the laser scans the preparation at set depths
within a sample and the digitised images are then reconstructed to produce a
3D model of the sample. For our purposes this means that we can build models
of living resistance arteries and localise receptors and other proteins within
the cells of living tissues. An excellent web site with more detailed information
about confocal microscopy can be found at;
http://www.cs.ubc.ca/spider/ladic/confocal.html
The APU Hardware
We previously use two NORAN Odyssey, Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopes(CLSM).
However, we have since replaced these with a BioRad Radience 2100 which is
a vast improvement in terms of both versatility and resolution.
The APU Software
We use three main software packages for image processing and analysis.
2D image analysis and processing is performed in MetaMorph (Univeral Imaging).
3D processing is accomplished with IMARIS (bitplane) and/or AMIRA (TGS).
For more information about image analysis, visit the links listed below;
collection of
image analysis links
