From day-to-day workhorses to super-resolution imaging, we have all your imaging needs covered. We work with you on experimental design, guide you to the appropriate instrument, provide training and assisted use on our scopes, and help with image and data analysis. The NBCC is partnered with the Nikon Centre of Excellence at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, which provides our users with early access to advanced instrumentation and data analysis workflows.
Super-Resolution imaging goes beyond the diffraction limit of light to provide more detailed analysis of sub-cellular structures. We offer three different super-resolution options. The SoRa and DeepSIM systems provide up to 100 nm resolution with standard fluorophores in fixed or live samples. The STEDYCON system can achieve 30 nm resolution for the ultimate detail.
SoRa - RPE-1 cell in Prophase
DeepSim - RPE-1 cells stained with Tomm20 antibody
Deconvolution of ANKRD26 in RPE-1 cells using STEDYCON
Our widefield DeltaVision system is ideal for live-cell imaging using fluorescently-tagged molecules or live cell compatible dyes. Temperature, humidity and CO2 control are available for long-term live cell imaging to reveal molecule dynamics.
Our Zeiss Axio Z1 slide scanner will allow up to 100 slides to be imaged with either a Brightfield or Fluorescent camera, allowing the whole slide to be digitized at either 20x or 40x, giving a full picture of the entire specimen.
We also offer a wide range of widefield and confocal microscopes to meet your imaging needs. All our instruments are detailed under equipment.
We offer the use of Visiopharm, NIS Elements, Volocity, CellProfiler, and ImageJ software. We provide training, advice and support for all your image analysis needs.
The Nikon CSU-SoRa is a spinning disk microscope with optical reassignment. It offers super resolution (~100 nm) of live or fixed samples with good fluorescence intensity. Its field of view is on the scale of a single mammalian cell, and it can accommodate standard secondary fluorophores (e.g., AlexaFluor), live dyes and fluorescent proteins.
The Nikon CREST v3 DeepSIM is a spinning disk microscope with structured illumination. It offers super resolution (~ 100 nm) of live or fixed samples with a field of view that can accommodate multiple mammalian cells. Since it is less phototoxic than the SoRa, it is ideal for longer term super resolution live imaging. This scope can accommodate standard secondary fluorophores (e.g., AlexaFluor), live dyes and fluorescent proteins.
The Abberior STEDYCON is a super resolution microscope with stimulated emission depletion. It offers super resolution (~30 nm) of fixed samples with a field of view up to 90 x 80 um. This system works best with Abberior STAR dyes.
| Nikon CSU-SoRa | Nikon CREST v3 DeepSIM | Abberior STEDYCON | |
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| Excitation wavelengths |
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| STED Depletion | N/A | N/A | 775 nm pulsed For use with ‘orange’ and ‘red’ or long stokes shift ‘green’ fluorophores |
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775 nm pulsed For use with ‘orange’ and ‘red’ or long stokes shift ‘green’ fluorophores |
| Environmental Control | Tokai Hit stage top incubator for control of temperature, CO2 and humidity. | Tokai Hit stage top incubator for control of temperature, CO2 and humidity. | Tokai Hit stage top incubator for control of temperature, CO2 and humidity. |
| Associated Software | NIS Elements | NIS Elements | Abberior acquisition software |
We have a Nikon A1 point scanning confocal, a Leica Quorom spinning disc confocal, and a BC43 spinning disc, widefield scope in the facility
| Nikon A1 | Leica Quorom | BC43 | |
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| Location | Hospital rm 865 | Orde 6-1001-3 (Microscope Room B) | Orde 6 (Santos Lab) |
| Model | Nikon | Leica | Andor |
| Microscope | Leica DMI 6000 inverted, motorized | BC43 - Spinning Disc and Widefield | |
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| Vibration isolation | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Stage | Motorized xyz, Slide/Plate/dish holder, Software-integrated | Motorized xyz, Slide/Plate/dish holder, Software-integrated | Motorized xyz, Slide/Plate/dish holder, Software-integrated |
| Z-focus | Microscope | Microscope or piezo | Microscope and autofocus |
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| Detector | Hamamatsu C9100-13 EM CCD Camera | ||
| Pinhole | Adjustable | Fixed | Fixed |
| Software | Elements | Volocity | Fusion |
We offer 5 different widefield instruments from a DMIL LED for basic histology and fluorescence to a DeltaVision Elite for long-term imaging.
| DeltaVision | BX61 – fluorescent and histology | Olympus IX81 Inverted (OPTIGRID) | BX61 – histology only | DMIL LED | |
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| Location | 1065 | 865 (SW) | Orde 6-1001-2 (Microscope Room A) | Orde 6-1001-2 (Microscope Room A) | Orde 6-1014-1 (Tissue Culture Microscope) |
| System Type | WF/Deconvolution (200 nm resolution) | histo-fluor (camera-based) | WF/Structured Illumination and Deconvolution | Histology, colour camera | Basic Histology and WF fluorescence, colour camera |
| Model | Elite | Olympus | OptiGrid on IX81 and Huygens Deconvolution | Olympus | Leica inverted, basic, photography and simple measurements/image processing |
| Microscope | Olympus IX-71, inverted | Olympus BX61 | Olympus IX81 inverted | Olympus BX61 | DMIL LED |
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| Vibration Isolation | Yes | No | No | No | No |
| Stage | Motorized x,y,z | Manual xy, Slide spring clip | Motorized xyz, Slide/Plate holder, Software-integrated | Motorized xyz, Multislide holder, Software-integrated | Manual xyz, slide, dish holder |
| Z-Focus | Software and hardware-based autofocus | Integrated objective z-drive | microscope and autofocus | microscope and autofocus capable | manual not integrated |
| Illumination | InSight SSI 7colour solid state illumination | EXFO X-Cite 120 | a) Halogen 12V 100W | Hallogen 12V100W | EXFO X-Cite 120 and 5W LED |
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| Detector | SCMOS |
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MicroPublisher 5.0 RTV Colour Camera |
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QCapture Pro 6.0 /Win XP 32 | |
| Offline analysis | SoftWorx | Volocity | Volocity/ | N/A | Same Computer |
| Other Features | Fully enclosed stage for control of temperature, CO2 and humidity. |
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| Zeiss AxioScan | |
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| Location | 865 |
| System Type | Slide Scanner - Fluorescent and Brightfield |
| Model | Zeiss |
| Microscope | Zeiss AxioScan1 |
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| Vibration isolation | Yes |
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| Software | Zeiss Zen |
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Pricing is for external academic users only. Internal or industry users should contact Johnny Tkach (tkach@lunenfeld.ca) for super-resolution microscopes and Louise Brown (louise@lunenfeld.ca) for all other instruments.
| Super Resolution |
External Pricing ($/Hr)
Assisted |
|---|---|
| Nikon CSU-W1 SoRa | $99.00 |
| Nikon Crest V3 DeepSIM | $99.00 |
| Abberior STEDYCON | $99.00 |
| External Pricing ($/Hr) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Widefield & Confocal | Assisted | 1Unassisted |
| GE Elite DeltaVision Widefield | $99.00 | $35.00/$20.00 |
| Nikon A1 confocal | $99.00 | $35.00 |
| Quorom Spinning Disc Confocal | $99.00 | $35.00 |
| Andor BC43 confocal | $99.00 | $35.00 |
| Olympus IX81 inverted | $99.00 | $20.00 |
| Olympus BX61 fluorescent/brightfield | $99.00 | $18.00 |
| Olympus BX61 brightfield | $99.00 | $18.00 |
| Leica DMIL LED Upright | $99.00 | $3.00 |
1For time-lapse imaging on DeltaVision, reduced price during off-peak hours (weekends and 6 pm to 9 am on weeknights).
| Zeiss Axio Z1 Slide Scanner | External Pricing ($/slide) |
|---|---|
| 20x brightfield | $8.00 |
| 40x brightfield | $10.00 |
| 20x fluorescent | $16.00 |
| 40x fluorescent | $22.00 |
| External Pricing ($/hr) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Software | Assisted | Unassisted |
| Volocity | $99.00 | $12.00 |
| Visiopharm | $99.00 | $12.00 |
| Nikon Elements | $99.00 | $12.00 |
| Training/Data Analysis | External Pricing ($/hr) |
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| Training/Theory/Data Analysis | $99.00 |
Preferred acknowledgment for the Network Biology Collaborative Centre Advanced Imaging Facility:
The authors wish to thank [staff name] of the Network Biology Collaborative Centre Advanced Imaging Facility (RRID: SCR_025389) at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute for [service]. The facility is supported by the Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Government.
Click here for our publication policy and preferred acknowledgement for other NBCC Facilities.