Opera Phenix High Content Screening System Technical Performance: Improved 3D Imaging

Spinning disk confocal microscopy is a common tool for live cell microscopy and reduces background fluorescence from out of focus planes. However, for 3D imaging, confocal image quality can be limited by a phenomenon known as ‘pinhole crosstalk’. Out-of-focus light and scattered emission bleeds through neighboring pinholes and increases the background haze. This can lead to blurred images in conventional spinning disk systems. The confocal scanning unit of the Opera Phenix™ High Content Screening System provides an increased distance between pinholes to reduce the pinhole crosstalk. This leads to improved 3D image quality.