Zeiss Elyra 7 lattice SIM2

In spring 2024 we introduced the Zeiss Elyra 7 lattice SIM² into the facility after a successful application to the BBSRC ALERT 2022, lead by Dr Yolanda Markaki. This system combines Lattice Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM) for super-resolution imaging (lateral resolution down to 120 nm and an axial resolution of 300 nm) with SIM² image reconstruction technology to obtain a lateral resolution down to ~60 nm and axial resolution down to ~200 nm.

However, this system includes many more microscopy modalities than just the lattice SIM/SIM². Included are also:

• SIM Apotome for fast optical sectioning at diffraction limited resolution
• Burst Mode at up to 255 fps for fast 2D time laps acquisition with maximal two colours in both Lattice SIM and SIM Apotome acquisition modes
• Leap Mode for fast volume imaging with decreased light dosage in both Lattice SIM and SIM Apotome acquisition modes
• Laser widefield imaging
• Total Internal Reflection Microscopy (TIRF)
• Highly Inclined and Laminated Optical sheet microscopy (HILO)
• Single Molecule Localisation Microscopy (SMLM - PALM/STORM)
• For photoactivation and FRAP experiments a RAPP UGA-42 Firefly photomaniplulation system is available

Information

Location

• Henry Wellcome Building, room 3/51

Contact

• Dr Kees Straatman
• +44 (0)116 252 7085

System specification

Software

• ZEN-Black 3.0 SR FP2

Stand

• Axio Observer 7, motorized inverted microscope equipped with an environmental chamber.

Light sources

Excitation laser lines (solid state lasers)

• 405nm, 488nm/500mW, 561nm/500mW and 640nm/500 MW

Fluorescent lamp

• HXP fluorescent lamp

Objectives

• EC Plan-Neofluar 10x/0,3 WD=5.2mm
• Plan Apo 20x/0.8 WD=0.55mm DIC
• LD LCI Plan-Apochromat 25x/0.8 Imm Corr WD=0.57mm
• LD LCI PApo 40x/1.4 Oil DIC (UV) V-IR WD=0.21mm
• Plan-Apochromat 63x/1.40 Oil DIC f/ELYRA WD=0.19mm
• Alpha Plan-Apochromat 63x/1.46 Oil Corr WD=0.1mm

Camera systems

The system is equipped with two pco.edge 4.2 CLHS sCMOS 16 bit cooled monochrome cameras link via a Duolink adapter for simultaneous image acquisition

• 2048 x 2048 pixels
• 6.5 x 6.5µm pixel size
• max 100 fps at full resolution
• peak QE 82% at 580nm.

RAPP unit 

The system is equipped with an UGA-42 Firefly photomaniplulation system from Rapp OptoElectronic (ROE). This is a point scanning device for photomanipulation of small spots or larger ROIs at high speed and with high power density. This can be used for e.g. for FRAP experiments, photonconversion/photoswitching experiments or uncaging/photostimulation experiments. 

Software

• ROE SysCon 2
• The UGA-42 Firefly has its own control software which can be used via trigger in/out protocols with the Zeiss Zen software.

Available laser lines for the RAPP unit

• 405nm/100mW
• 473nm/100mW
• 552nm/100mW
• 633nm/100mW

Resources

Zeiss product information.

Acknowledgement in publications

Besides acknowledging the use of the AIF, for example: "We thank the Advanced Imaging Facility (RRID:SCR_020967) at the University of Leicester for support" when publishing results obtained using the Zeiss Elyra 7 lattice SIM², you are also required to acknowledge the BBSRC grant number BB/X019705/1. See also the publication list.