Leading Bio-nanotechnology Research Group Buys Advanced Confocal Microscope from Olympus

Olympus Life and Material Science Europa GmbH, has announced that the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Leeds, UK, has purchased the unique Fluoview FV1000 confocal laser scanning microscope.

The FluoView FV1000 cLSM will form an important part of their bio-nanotechnology research and features the unique SIM scanner and Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRFM) modules with cell^M imaging system. The system was selected based on its world-leading features, versatility and the knowledge of the Olympus personnel.

The Olympus Fluoview FV1000 confocal laser scanning microscope (cLSM) has been designed with advanced features and maximum versatility to enable it to meet any requirement. With the SIM scanner fitted, the main scanner can record changes as the secondary (SIM) scanner is used to simultaneously bleach or manipulate target areas. Equipped with the unique TIRFM unit the FV1000 allows fine control of the lasers for TIRF imaging.

Commenting on the decision to purchase the FV1000 system, the head of the bio-nanotechnology research group, Dr Walti said, “Having spoken to a number of microscopy companies, Olympus were the only ones willing to engage with the challenges of our requirements. We are essentially physicists with a need for an excellent and flexible ‘optical bench’, to which we can add ‘home-grown’ attachments.” He continued, “The secondary laser scanner and the advanced objective based TIRFM unit provide us with a system that fulfils all of our requirements and more, allowing us to do advanced fluorescence bleaching and FRET studies” Other aspects of the system also grabbed Dr Walti’s attention, “The new UIS2 optical system gives us better transmission across the entire visible light spectrum range and even into the near-UV and near-IR regions. Autofluorescence is also almost non-existent, and the images are completely flat and distortion free.”

The group is running an ambitious research programme to investigate Bio-electronics. Their aim is to develop hybrid bio-electronic instruments, where electronics and biology integrate seamlessly with multiplex communication. Dr Walti noted, “Evolution has given biological systems an excellent ability to precisely detect molecules and react in defined ways. Many downstream control systems, such as the response to the detection of hormones or other chemicals, share similarities with electronics – feedback loops, cut-offs and even logic gates.”

He continued, “My aim, with the aid of the Olympus FV1000, is to take the key parts of the biological systems e.g. the antibodies, receptors, proteins, nucleotides and etc, and couple them with advanced electronic systems capable of making very rapid decisions, display answers, or instigate further processes” This technology would be extremely important in the miniaturisation of diagnostic systems, where present technologies use various chemical reporting methods to identify a biological interaction. Further examples are limited only by imagination and include such arenas as medical treatment, security, forensics and molecular computing.