The RII Imaging Cores - Optical, in collaboration with the core's Faculty Research Advisory Committee (FRAC), was awarded internal equipment enhancement funds for their proposal to purchase a Zeiss Axio Observer 7 widefield microscope with an Apotome III attachment that gives confocal-like resolution and optical sectioning capabilities in samples up to about 20um in thickness. The Faculty lead on the proposal was Dr. Helena Morrison (College of Nursing) , along with co-PIs Dr. Erica Eggers and Dr. Art Rigel (both from the College of Medicine).
This new instrument will run using the ZEN software, which is familiar to the users of many of the other instruments in the core facility. It is a fully motorized widefield system and should enable the capture of up to 5 colors (4 visible light, 1 near-IR) in fluorescence widefield mode, and 4 colors using the Apotome.
The microscope will be located in Life Sciences North and expected installation is sometime in May 2023.