Microscopy Core

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About

The Microscopy Core is a collaboration of the Broad Stem Cell Research Center and the Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. The Core's mission is to promote interdisciplinary and collaborative research across UCLA.

The Core provides state-of-the-art, high resolution technologies for imaging and analyzing the molecular and structural organization of cells and tissue as well as bioengineered materials.  

The technologies available in this Core include confocal, wide-field fluorescence, live-cell and super-resolution imaging as well as software for image analysis. 

The Microscopy Core is organized into three interdependent imaging labs across three locations:  

• Center for Health Sciences 66-100E
• MCDB-BSCRC Terasaki Life Sciences Building 5031
• Terasaki Life Sciences Building 3128

Training & Scheduling 

Training:
Training is required to use the microscopes within the Core. To request training, please create a user account in PPMS and request training through the Request tab. If a user does not use the microscopes within three months of completing training, they will be required to attend another training session. 

Scheduling:
After completing training, users can schedule time in the Microscopy Core through PPMS. The calendars are self-serve with a 10-day maximum advance scheduling policy. 

Equipment:

CHS 66-100E Microscopy Core

• Zeiss LSM 880 Confocal with Airyscan 
  • The LSM 880 is an inverted laser scanning confocal microscope capable of fixed or live imaging with 7 laser lines from 405nm to 633nm and is equipped with 2 multi-alkali PMT detectors, 1 GaAsP PMT detector and an Airyscan detector for super-resolution imaging up to ~140nm.  Identical system to that which is located in TLSB 5031..       
• Zeiss Spinning Disk Confocal
  • The Spinning Disk Confocal is composed of a Yokogawa CSU X1 spinning disk confocal on an inverted Zeiss stand ideal for fast imaging commonly required for live cellular dynamics such as calcium fluorescence.  The system is equipped with 6 laser lines from 405nm to 633nm and a Photometrics Evolve 512 EMCCD camera with a 512x512 image sensor capable of 33 fps full frame capture rate.
• Zeiss LSM 700 Confocal
  • The LSM 700 is an inverted laser scanning confocal microscope capable of fixed or live imaging with 4 laser lines from 405nm to 633nm and 2 multi-alkali PMT detectors.  This system is ideal for standard 4 color imaging of common fluorophores such as DAPI, GFP, RFP, and far-red (e.g. Cy5).  Great for beginners.
• Imaris Workstation
  • Imaris Workstation B is loaded with the full Imaris software package including Clear View-GPU deconvolution and Imaris Stitcher. A Puget Systems built workstation with AMD Threadripper Pro 5975WX 3.6GHz 32-core processor and 512GB of RAM, this system is capable of converting your most demanding microscopic images into 3D renderings as well as automated analysis of multi-dimensional microscope files.

TLSB 5031 Microscopy Core

• Zeiss Elyra Super-resolution SIM/PALM
  • The Elyra is an inverted wide-field microscope capable of acquiring super resolution images up to ~20nm with PALM (Photoactivated Localization Microscopy) and ~100nm with SIM (Structured Illumination).  The system has 4 laser lines from 405nm to 642nm and is equipped with an Andor iXonEM+ EMCCD camera for PALM and pco.edge 4.2 sCMOS for SIM.  Live imaging with SIM is possible.       
• Zeiss LSM 880 Confocal with Airyscan
  • The LSM880 is an inverted laser scanning confocal microscope capable of fixed or live imaging with 7 laser lines from 405nm to 633nm and equipped with 2 multi-alkali PMT detectors, 1 GaAsP PMT detector and an Airyscan detector for super-resolution imaging up to ~140nm. Identical system to CHS 66-100E location.
• Zeiss LSM 880 Confocal with 2-photon
  • The LSM 880 with 2-photon is built on the same inverted platform as our other LSM 880s, but with the added feature of 2-photon imaging with a Coherent Ti-Sapphire laser tunable from 690nm to 1064nm.  Ideal for tissue ablation or imaging 2D live cell cultures to semi-thick (~100+ um) sections or use as a standard LSM 880.  Equipped with a 32-channel GaAsP spectral detector and 2 multi-alkali PMTs, allowing for lambda scanning and linear unmixing for superior imaging of multiple fluorescent labels.
• Zeiss LSM 780 Confocal
  • The LSM 780 is an inverted laser scanning confocal microscope capable of fixed or live imaging with 7 laser lines from 405nm to 633nm and 2 multi-alkali PMT detectors along with a 32-channel GaAsP spectral detector for acquiring lambda scans and achieving linear unmixing for superior imaging of multiple fluorescent labels.
• Zeiss Imager M2 Apotome System
  • The Imager M2 is an upright wide-field microscope for fixed samples capable of fluorescence imaging with the Zeiss MRm camera or color imaging with the Zeiss HRc camera.  With the equipped ApoTome.2, optical sectioning can be achieved via structured illumination and along with the motorized stage, large tiled z-stacks can be acquired in a fraction of the time as on an LSM system.
• Imaris Workstation
  • Imaris Workstation A is loaded with the full Imaris software package including Clear View-GPU deconvolution and Imaris Stitcher. An HP Z840 workstation with 192GB of RAM and dual Intel Xeon Processors with 4 cores each, this system is capable of converting your most demanding microscopic images into 3D renderings as well as automated analysis of multi-dimensional microscope files.

TLSB 3128

• IncuCyte SX5 (live-cell analysis)   
  • The IncuCyte SX5 is an automated microscope system housed inside a standard CO2 incubator meant for time-lapse imaging of cell cultures over long periods.  A variety of vessels can be accommodated from flasks and multiwell plates to chamber slides with the ability to image up to 6 microplates in parallel.  Objectives include 4x, 10x, and 20x, with the capability of imaging in phase, green, orange, red and near-IR.  Full software package allows for automated data analysis.        

Core Pricing:

Product/Service	UCLA Rate
LSM 700, 780 and 880 Confocal – Peak	$37.48 per hour
LSM 700, 780 and 880 Confocal – Off-peak	$26.19 per hour
Spinning Disk – Peak	$27.14 per hour
Spinning Disk - Off-peak	$21.83 per hour
Imager M2 Apotome – Peak	$9.14 per hour
Imager M2 Apotome – Off-peak	$9.14 per hour
Training	$75.14 per hour
Imaris Workstation	$6.20 per hour

*Please note: Peak hours are 9AM to 6PM. Off-peak hours are 6PM to 9AM.

FAQs

1.  Where can I find the cores?

The Center for Health Sciences Microscopy Core is located in the South Tower of CHS on the 6th floor and requires UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine badge access for entry.  The Terasaki Life Sciences Building Microscopy Core is located in the West Tower of TLSB on the 5th floor.  Access is restricted.  Feel free to contact Core staff to arrange a tour of the Core facilities.

2. Which system is best for my needs?

Contact Core staff for help identifying which microscope would suit your needs.  The Core has everything from a simple to use confocal (LSM700) to wide-field epi-fluorescence or color imaging (Imager with Apotome) to super-resolution (ELYRA).

3. What objectives are on each system?

Most systems have a range of objectives from 5x, 10x, 20x, 40x, 63x, and 100x.  Contact Core staff for more details

4.  How do I gain access to a microscope in your Core?

• Create an account:
  • Navigate to our online scheduling software PPMS at and request to create a user account. 
• Request training:
  •  Once your account is approved, log in to PPMS with your newly created credentials and click on “request” in the top menu to request the microscope you would like to be trained to use.
• Sign up for training:
  • Once your training request is submitted, you will enter a queue and will be contacted by email for the next available training session.  Trainings are typically held twice monthly and are in a group setting.

5.  Can you help me optimize/troubleshoot my imaging?

Yes, contact Core staff; they will be happy to assist you.  The more details you provide, the better they will be able to assist you.

6.  I need to obtain images ASAP, can I use the Microscopy Core right away?

Unfortunately, only users who have been trained and approved by Core staff are allowed to use the Microscopy Core systems.