Visitech iSIM

The iSIM (instant structured illumination microscopy) technology is integrated into a state-of-the-art Evident (formerly Olympus) microscope platform. It combines ultra-fast 3D imaging with low phototoxicity and provides close to a two-fold resolution enhancement compared to standard confocal or wide-field fluorescence microscopy. 

Funded by the ERC (awarded to Prof Neil Brockdorff), John Fell & EPA Cephalosporin Fund (awarded to Micron), the VT-iSIM system is fully equipped with environment control, high-NA Olympus objectives and twin Hamamatsu Orca Quest qCMOS cameras for simultaneous dual-colour acquisition with highest sensitivity. 

The system’s unique capability for fast and gentle live-cell super-resolution imaging using standard fluorophores and without time-consuming post-processing opens new possibilities for Oxford researchers to observe and understand dynamic processes within living cells and tissues in unparalleled spatio-temporal detail.

Applications

• Fast and gentle live super-resolution imaging in 2D and 3D.
• True two colour simultaneous live super-resolution imaging.
• Multi-channel super-resolution on fixed samples.

Specifications

• 405 nm, 488 nm, 561 nm and 640 nm lasers
• 100x NA 1.5 UPLAPO100XOHR Olympus objective
• Dual Hamamatsu Quest qCMOS cameras
• Temperature control and gas control

Image Acknowledgement

 Clustering of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-associated proteins

VT-iSIM was used to show that localised clustering of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-associated proteins NLGN3/4X at the leading edge of growth cones promoted neuritogenesis in immature human neurons by inducing growth cone enlargement and influencing actin filament organization. Ultimately suggesting these proteins may have a role in earlier ASD pathogenesis prior to their established role at neuronal synapses. The VT-iSIM enabled visualisation of these key proteins of interest at the nanoscopic level in a human stem cell derived neuronal system for the first time and provided unprecedented detail at speed to generate a substantial dataset of super-resolution images suitable for quantification and publication.

 Dr Nicholas Gatford, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences.

Access to Micron User Guides (requires Oxford SSO)