News for Leica TCS STED

g-STED nanoscopy provides fundamentally improved spatial resolution over confocal microscopy in living cells. Here, the protein keratin is marked with the fluorescent protein Citrine in a living PtK2 cell. The insets show a magnified view of the marked areas, demonstrating the separation of features as small as 60 nm in the living cell. Fluorescence excitation at 485 nm, STED at 592 nm wavelength using a CW beam. Scale bars 1 μm. Copyright Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry

Developing the Next STED Generation

Wetzlar / Munich / Heidelberg, Germany. Leica Microsystems has signed an agreement with the Max Planck Society and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) for the development of the next generation of super-resolution STED (Stimulated Emission Depletion) microscopy. This gives Leica Microsystems the license to develop the new technology, called gated STED, into a commercial product and put it on the market.

Professor Stefan Hell, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, has taken his idea of STED microscopy a momentous step further with gated STED: The new technology significantly improves the resolution and contrast previously attained with CW-STED (Continuous-Wave Stimulated Emission Depletion) microscopy, while distinctly reducing laser intensity. This enhances photostability as well as live cell capability, substantially extending the range of possible applications. Also, gated STED technology will considerably increase the number of questions that can be addressed with STED fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (STED- FCS ). The main application of gated STED FCS will be the observation of molecule movements in the membrane of living cells.

The new product of Leica Microsystems will be launched in the first half of the year 2012. Thanks to Leica Microsystems’ modular concept, the Leica TCS SP5 and Leica TCS STED CW confocal systems already on the market can be upgraded with gated STED.

“We’re delighted to be able to continue the provenly successful cooperation with the Max Planck Society, its technology transfer organization Max Planck Innovation and the DKFZ with this trailblazing product development,” says Dr. Stefan Traeger, Vice President of Leica Microsystems’ Life Science Division. “The new gated STED microscope will enable us to further strengthen our technological lead in super-resolution microscopy especially for confocal systems. “

• Press Release gated STED (English)
• Press Release gated STED (German)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Leica Microsystems is a world leader in microscopes and scientific instruments. Founded as a family business in the nineteenth century, the company’s history was marked by unparalleled innovation on its way to becoming a global enterprise.

Its historically close cooperation with the scientific community is the key to Leica Microsystems’ tradition of innovation, which draws on users’ ideas and creates solutions tailored to their requirements. At the global level, Leica Microsystems is organized in four divisions, all of which are among the leaders in their respective fields: the Life Science Division, Industry Division, Biosystems Division and Medical Division.

Leica Microsystems’ Biosystems Division, also known as Leica Biosystems, offers histopathology laboratories the most extensive product range with appropriate products for each work step in histology and for a high level of productivity in the working processes of the entire laboratory.

The company is represented in over 100 countries with 12 manufacturing facilities in 7 countries, sales and service organizations in 19 countries and an international network of dealers. The company is headquartered in Wetzlar, Germany.

Ptk2-cells
NPC-staining: anti-NUP153/Alexa FLUOR 532
Microtubule-staining: anti-β-tubulin/Alexa FLUOR 488
Courtesy: Wernher Fouquet, Leica Microsystems in collaboration with Anna Szymborsak and Jan Ellenberg, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany.

Are you interested in learning about super-resolution microscopy and research applications?

Super-resolution microscopy provides the ability to image structures as small as 20nm. Leica Microsystems pioneered this emerging field, and we’re leading the way today with the broadest array of solutions for super-resolution including stimulated emission depletion STED and ground state depletion (GSD). We bring the technical expertise to help you illuminate new opportunities for discovery.

• Prof. Stefan Hell, Director, Department of NanoBiophotonics, Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
• Dr. Hari Schroff, Chief Investigator, Section on High Resolution Optical imaging, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging
• Dr. Paul R. Selvin, Professor of Physics, University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana

This Webinar is Now Available for Download on demand!

Learn more about Super-Resolution with Stimulated Emission Depletion -
Leica TCS STED

Learn more about Widefield Super-Resolution with Ground State Depletion -
Leica SR GSD

Leica SR GSD – Widefield super-resolution with ground state depletion (GSDIM)

The Leica SR GSD Microscope System Visualizes Small Subcellular Structures Far Below the Diffraction Limit

Wetzlar, Germany. With the new Leica SR GSD from Leica Microsystems, scientists can now achieve resolutions far below the limit of diffraction that have never been attained before in widefield fluorescence microscopy. The system is capable of resolving details as small as 20 nanometers. This enables research of structures of single proteins and other biomolecules in cells and observation of molecular processes to gain new insights into fundamental processes of life.

The Leica SR GSD is based on GSDIM technology (Ground State Depletion followed by Individual Molecule return; exclusively licensed from MPI Goettingen, based on the work of Professor Stefan Hell). It has already delivered amazing results in scientific experiments during its test phase. One of the key advantages of the GSDIM method is that it can be used with conventional fluorescence labels routinely applied in fluorescence imaging applications. GSDIM provides the highest resolution possible with a light microscope today, almost equaling that of an electron microscope.

Extended super-resolution portfolio

Based on many years of experience in super-resolution microscopy with its confocal laser scanning microscopy systems Leica TCS STED (2007) and Leica TCS STED CW (2009), Leica Microsystems is now extending its innovative portfolio of super-resolution light microscopy and nanoscopy products. “We are thrilled that the outstanding performance of the new Leica SR GSD has been confirmed by many experts. We have already received orders from the research community, and are eagerly awaiting first publications,” comments Sebastian Tille, head of the Business Segment ‘Widefield Imaging’ at Leica Microsystems.

Highly Integrated Multi-Modal System

The Leica SR GSD is based on a fully automated TIRF system (Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence). Combining the benefits of super-resolution with TIRF microscopy is one of many options. The system can also be used for a wide range of applications in all areas of live cell microscopy and high-end fluorescence microscopy. As a flexible, multi-functional system, the Leica SR GSD gives researchers the freedom to tailor the system exactly to their needs.

Novel Drift Optimization

The prevention of drift during image acquisition is a key issue in super-resolution microscopy for exact localization of molecules. The Leica SR GSD is equipped with the novel SuMo Stage technology (SUpressed MOtion) that guarantees minimum drift, eliminating the need for time-consuming drift compensation post acquisition. With the Leica SR GSD the user can immediately see the super-resolution image of the selected sample location during acquisition. The reduction of drift also simplifies specimen preparation, as there is no need to use gold particles or other standards for reference.

The Leica SR GSD is a reliable research tool for a wide range of biomedical applications, providing neuroscientists, cell biologists, virologists, structural biologists, microbiologists, and physiologists with new opportunities for studying the function and interaction of single molecules and visualization of sub-cellular structures.

• Press Release Leica SR GSD (English)
• Press Release Leica SR GSD (German)

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Leica Microsystems is a world leader in microscopes and scientific instruments. Founded as a family business in the nineteenth century, the company’s history was marked by unparalleled innovation on its way to becoming a global enterprise.

Its historically close cooperation with the scientific community is the key to Leica Microsystems’ tradition of innovation, which draws on users’ ideas and creates solutions tailored to their requirements. At the global level, Leica Microsystems is organized in four divisions, all of which are among the leaders in their respective fields: the Life Science Division, Industry Division, Biosystems Division and Medical Division.

Leica Microsystems’ Biosystems Division, also known as Leica Biosystems, offers histopathology laboratories the most extensive product range with appropriate products for each work step in histology and for a high level of productivity in the working processes of the entire laboratory.

The company is represented in over 100 countries with 12 manufacturing facilities in 7 countries, sales and service organizations in 19 countries and an international network of dealers. The company is headquartered in Wetzlar, Germany.