Microscopy for a long time has become a basic tool for many researchers. It allows us to solve structures that depending on the type of microscopy we use can range from a few nanometers to a few microns.
Microscopy unit of IDIVAL, currently has powerful optical microscopes (based on photons) and a transmission electron microscope (TEM) (based on electrons).
Within the optical microscopy we have a Nikon A1R confocal microscope and an Nikon Ti epifluorescence microscope designed to make time lapse. By the other hand, the transmission electron microscopy we have a JEOL_JEM 1011, equipment specially designed to work with biological samples due to its high contrast power.

Our Microscopy Unit offers a comprehensive service to researchers and provides technical and methodological support in the development of projects that require these techniques

SERVICES

Optical microscopy

• Mono or multichannel confocal microscopy in tissue / fixed cell and living cell.
• Mono or multichannel Epi-fluorescence in tissue / fixed cell and living cell.
• Single-channel or multi-channel TIRF (Total Internal Reflexion) in tissue / fixed cell and living cell.
• DIC for all Nikon A1R objectives.
• Phase contrast for all Nikon Ti Epifluorescence Microscope objectives.
• Spectral analysis (scanning in λ to study different emissions).
• Resonant scanning for live confocal cell study at very high speed.
• Studies in living cells in widefield, confocal or TIRF.
• Obtaining images by transmission electron microscopy.
• Specialized techniques and other services:
  • Time-lapse recording
  • Photo-bleaching (resonanate head) and simultaneous galvo scanning.
  • FRAP (Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching) techniques, FRET (Förster Resonance Energy Transfer) and FLIP (Fluorescence Loss In Photobleaching).
  • Simultaneous acquisition of 32-channel spectral images.

Electronic microscopy

• Training and support in the management of equipment.
• Calibration of the microscope before the sessions.

Image Analysis

• Analysis, treatment and quantification of images
• Cell tracking
• Deconvolution

EQUIPMENT

• Spectral NIKON A1R confocal laser microscope with TIRF module, laser lines 405nm, 457nm, 477nm, 488nm, 514nm, 561nm, 638nm.
• Epifluorescence microscope for videomicroscopy NIKON Ti equipped with a wide combination of flitter sets, methacrylate incubator, coupled micro-injection system and with automatic focus maintenance systems.
• Transmission electron microscope (MET) JEOL -JEM 1011 equipped with a high resolution Gatan digital camera.
• Off-line equipment for image processing and deconvolution with license of Nis software and another of SVI (Scientific Volume Imaging) for deconvolution and analysis of images. We also have open source programs like ImageJ, Fluorender ,etc