Olympus unveils double-scan microscope
that promises to improve the imaging of live cells in fluorescence
studies.
The FV1000, part of Olympus' FluoView range, offers a scanning system with two independent, fully synchronized laser scanners for simultaneous confocal high-resolution imaging and laser stimulation, which the company claims allows brighter, faster and more precise imaging.
It also minimises specimen damage during high-speed imaging (up to 16 frames per second), which makes it particularly suitable for high-throughput applications and time-lapse studies to see how cells behave over time, according to Olympus.
The FV1000 has an optional SIM (SIMultaneous) scanner that allows the microscope "to capture data from the rapid cellular processes that occur during or immediately after laser stimulation and without a time lag." said Esther Ahrent, Section Manger Marketing Communications, at Olympus Europa.
Unlike rival systems, the addition of the SIM scanner allows activation of the sample and immediately after scanning of the response, and this means that rapid changes are no longer missed.
Olympus notes that the system is particularly suitable for FLIP (Fluorescence Loss in Photobleaching) and FRAP (Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching) and photoactivation/photoconversion assays, used to measure the movement of molecules in membranes or living cells.
