

Cell Culture
Get what you need and increase the efficiency of your imaging workflow for cell and tissue culture with inverted microscopes from Leica Microsystems.
These easy-to-use microscopes allow you to configure an imaging solution which is optimal for your needs. They have flexible options for the condenser lens and digital imaging documentation features, creating a solution that is just right for your lab.
Our experts on solutions for cell-and-tissue-culture applications are happy to help you with their advice.
Leica cell & tissue culture microscopes feature

Easy-to-use operation
Easy-to-use operation that requires minimal training and maintenance so you can fully concentrate on your research

Cool, color-safe LED illumination
Cool, color-safe LED illumination for constant color temperature through all stages of intensity

Easy fluorescence
Easy fluorescence (optional) to easily visualize your fluorescent markers

HD imaging
HD imaging (optional) – connect the HD camera directly to a monitor or PC; providing high quality publication images

Flexible working distance
Flexible working distance up to 80 mm for accommodating slides, petri dishes, multi-well dishes, and taller flasks

Cell factory
Cell factory solution fits vessels up to 400 mm tall
Microscopes – Basic Requirements
What tools do I need for cell and tissue culture?
To manage the daily work of a cell-and-tissue-culture lab, a microscope with an inverse configuration is needed. Such an inverted microscope features the objective lens below and the condenser above the specimen, enabling the objective to be placed in proximity of the cells, often at the bottom of flasks, and a large working distance above the specimen so it can be easily handled during imaging.
Due to the very low intrinsic contrast of animal cells, a cell-and-tissue-culture microscope has to deliver contrast methods like phase contrast. DIC (Differential Interference Contrast) doesn’t help here, because it does not work with the plastic vessels used for cell and tissue culture. A very good alternative for DIC is IMC (Integrated Modulation Contrast), which works with plastic containers and, in addition, doesn’t need special objectives or prisms. Moreover, a cell-and-tissue-culture microscope should be easy to handle so cell imaging can be done efficiently.
Leica cell-and-tissue-culture microscopes offer you the ease of use and flexibility with contrast methods that you need for your individual requirements.
Tutorials Basic Microscopy
Our Basic Cell Culture Products
Brightfield | Phase contrast | DIC | IMC | Fluorescence | Magnification | Working Distance | Camera | |
Leica DM IL LED | + | + | - | + | + | PH: 5x to 63x IMC: 10x, 20x, 32x, 40x | 40 mm, 80 mm | + (free choice) |
Leica DMi1 | + | + | - | - | - | 10x, 20x, 40x | 40 mm, 50 mm, 80 mm | + (integrated) |
Microscopes dedicated to cell-and-tissue-culture lab work.
Find Your Personal Cell Culture Solution
Find your Cell Culture Solution
When it comes to cell and tissue cultures, there are some important differences between the solutions. To help you find the appropriate solution for your cell-and-tissue-culture needs, please answer these four quick questions.
Do you use fluorescence?
Do you require standardized results?
Do you need a camera?
Which vessels do you use?



How to Grow Cells
Animal cells are cultured in all kinds of different vessels, ranging from tiny microfluidic devices used for basic research to 96-well plates for screening, cell-and-tissue-culture flasks, and cell factories for large scale pharmaceutical production.
Due to their disposable use, the majority of containers is made of plastic. Others are specifically adopted to microscopy applications and therefore have a glass bottom.
The medium for animal cell and tissue culture contains:
- water;
- an energy source;
- amino acids;
- vitamins; and
- salts.
In addition to water and nutrients, it also includes a buffer system plus a pH indicator which can check if the cell medium is maintaining a balanced pH level.
MDCK cells
The Appearances of Cells
Lab-grown animal cells can be distinguished due to several criteria:
Their morphology is easy to identify with the microscope. Whereas fibroblast-like cells have a bi- or multi-polar, elongated shape, epithelial-like cells show a polygonal outline. In contrast to these first 2 cell types, lymphoblast-like cells don’t grow by adhering to a surface, but in suspension;
The type of cell can be subdivided into immortalized cells, primary cells, and stem cells;
The cell organization can range from simple 2D mono-culture to 2D co-culture as well as 3D spheroids and organoids.
Name | Morphology | Source |
COS | Fibroblast-like | African green monkey |
HEK 293 | Epithelial-like | Human |
CHO | Epithelial-like | Hamster |
MDCK | Epithelial-like | Dog |
HeLa | Fibroblast-like | Human |
Jurkat | Lymphoblast-like | Human |
A few examples of cell lines used for cell and tissue culture.
Leica Cell Culture Products
Filter by Area of Application

Flexacam C3
12 MP microscope camera - Simplicity, color accuracy, and real-time collaboration

K3 C/M
Microscope Camera series for Life Science and Industry Imaging Applications and Analysis

THUNDER Imager EM Cryo CLEM
The THUNDER Imager EM Cryo CLEM enables precise identification of cellular structures and smooth, secure transfer of coordinates, images, and samples through your correlative workflow.

PAULA
Smart Cell Imager

STELLARIS 8 CRS
CRS Microscope - Coherent Raman Scattering Microscope

Leica EM TP
With the automated EM TP Tissue Processor, ultrastructures of your tissue samples can be precisely prepared every time.

ARTOS 3D
Ultramicrotome for array tomography

DMi8 S Platform
For routine to live cell research

Leica EM ACE600
High vacuum sputter, carbon thread and e-beam coater

Leica EM ACE900
High-End EM Sample Preparation Freeze Fracture System

Leica EM UC7
Ultramicrotome for consistent high-quality sections at room and cryo temperatures

DMi1
Entry level inverted microscope

Leica DM IL LED
Inverted Laboratory Microscope with LED Illumination

Microscopes – Advanced Requirements
What tools do I need?
A very common approach is to transfect cells with fluorescent markers for subsequent investigation with a research optical microscope. If you are dealing with fluorescent proteins, also your cell-and-tissue-culture microscope needs a fluorescence option which allows transfection efficiency to be checked.
For meaningful documentation and standardization of work, the microscope should have a digital camera for the recording of acquired image data which can be further analyzed.
As space is an issue in many labs, a cell-and-tissue-culture microscope shouldn’t be too big, otherwise it may not be able to fit in a fume or flow hood. Moreover, recent trends demand microscopes which are small and robust enough to be used even inside an incubator.
Frequently Asked Questions Cell Culture
What range of magnification and types of microscopy contrast methods are needed for cell culture and tissue culture?
For you to have an overview on the overall status of a cell and tissue culture, a magnification of 100x – 200x is sufficient. The low intrinsic contrast of mammalian cells and tissues means specific contrast methods are needed to clearly observe them. Simple brightfield microscopy is often not sufficient. Phase contrast and integrated modulation contrast (IMC) are the most common ones which enable clear visualization of cells and tissues, whereas differential interference contrast (DIC) is not compatible with the plastic vessels normally used for cell and tissue culture. For fluorescence microscopy, the cells or tissues have to be transfected or labelled with fluorescent markers prior to imaging. For more information, refer to the article: Introduction to Mammalian Cell Culture
How do cells attach to tissue culture plates?
Cells are able to adhere to other cells and biocompatible surfaces due to interactions between cell-adhesion molecules, proteins in the cell plasma membrane, and other proteins or polypeptides. The bottom surface of plastic flasks and plates used for cell and tissue culture are treated and then coated with any number of a variety of biomaterials, such as collagen, laminin, fibronectin, heparin sulfate, hyaluronidate, etc. Synthetic polypeptides, like poly-lysine, have also been used as coatings for the plastic surfaces, because it creates a positive charge which can enhance cell attachment.
Useful Tutorials
Interested to know more?
Talk to our experts. We are happy to answer all your questions and concerns.
Contact UsDo you prefer personal consulting?