Science Lab

Learn. Share. Contribute. The knowledge portal of Leica Microsystems. Find scientific research and teaching material on the subject of microscopy. The portal supports beginners, experienced practitioners and scientists alike in their everyday work and experiments. Explore interactive tutorials and application notes, discover the basics of microscopy as well as high-end technologies. Become part of the Science Lab community and share your expertise.

Fixed patient-derived neuroendocrine tumor organoids labeled with DAPI (cyan) and phalloidin (magenta), imaged using Viventis SCAPE; scale bar 50μm. Courtesy of Marina Cuenca and Heleen Jungen (Dayton lab), EMBL Barcelona.

What’s the Best Organoid Imaging Approach for Early Drug Discovery?

Organoids and other complex in vitro models (CIVMs) are becoming increasingly important in early drug discovery and translational research, driven by the need for more predictive, human-relevant data…

Large field of view (FOV) 2D slices of a 1 mm diameter midbrain neural organoid stained with DAPI (blue, nuclear stain), β-tubulin (green, neuronal stain), and GFAP (red, astrocyte stain). Acquired on THUNDER Imager Cell with 10x magnification. Left: Raw widefield image, Right: THUNDER cleared image. Scale bar 400 μm. Sample courtesy of Dr Tanya Singh, University of Oxford, UK.

Fast, High-Contrast Widefield Imaging of Optically Challenging Samples

Live‑cell imaging of large, complex biological samples often requires large fields of view, sub-cellular resolution, high-sensitivity, and fast acquisition – all while maintaining low illumination…

Zebrafish heart, DAPI (nuclei, blue), Tropomyosin (cardiomyocytes, red) and GFP (primordial cardiac layer, green). Courtesy of Anna Jazwinska, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

A Guide to Fluorescence Microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy uses the ability of fluorophores, dyes, or fluorescent proteins to emit light of a specific wavelength after being excited with light of a shorter wavelength. Biomolecules can…

Virally labeled neurons (red) and astrocytes (green) in a cortical spheroid derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells. THUNDER Model Organism Imager with a 2x, 0.15 NA objective at 3.4x zoom was used to produce this 425 µm Z-stack (26 positions) which is presented here as an Extended Depth of Field (EDoF) projection. Images courtesy of Dr. F. Birey, Dr. S. Pasca laboratory, Palo Alto, CA.

Guide to Live-Cell Imaging

For a wide range of applications in various research fields of life science, live-cell imaging is an indispensable tool for visualizing cells in a state as close to in vivo, i.e. living and active, as…

Shown is the DMi8 inverted microscope which is used for life-science research.

Factors to Consider When Selecting a Research Microscope

An optical microscope is often one of the central devices in a life-science research lab. It can be used for various applications which shed light on many scientific questions. Thereby the…

Image of roundworm C. elegans acquired with a M205 FA fluorescence automated stereo microscope in combination with Rottermann contrast. Areas labelled with mCherry are seen as reddish purple.

A Guide to C. elegans Research – Working with Nematodes

Efficient microscopy techniques for C. elegans research are outlined in this guide. As a widely used model organism with about 70% gene homology to humans, the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (also…

Image: Human stem cell-derived mid brain organoids. Courtesy of Dr Tanya Singh, University of Oxford.

Unlocking the Secrets of Organoid Models in Biomedical Research

Get ready to delve deeper into the world of organoids and 3D models, which are essential tools for advancing our understanding of human health. Navigating these complex structures and obtaining clear…

TIRF Image of Tubulin, YFP, penetration depth: 120 mm

Applications of TIRF Microscopy in Life Science Research

The special feature of TIRF microscopy is the employment of an evanescent field for fluorophore excitation. Unlike standard widefield fluorescence illumination procedures with arc lamps, LEDs or…

TIRF image of brest carcinoma tumor cells expressing GFP tagged cell adhesion Molecule CD44 that is expressed on the cell membrane, imagined in TIRF.

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence (TIRF) Microscopy

Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) is a special technique in fluorescence microscopy developed by Daniel Axelrod at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor in the early 1980s. TIRF microscopy…