Live Cell Imaging
With the variety of fluorescent proteins and multicolored probes that have been developed, it is now possible to label virtually any molecule. The ability to visualize protein dynamics in vesicles, organelles, cells, and tissues has provided new insights into how cells function in healthy and disease states. These insights include the spatiotemporal dynamics of processes like mitosis, embryonic development, and cytoskeleton changes.
When studying live cells, common obstacles include phototoxicity and photodamage. To capture fast biological processes, it is crucial to keep the cells healthy and obtain crisp images for reliable data that are free of artifacts. Live‐cell microscopy often requires a compromise between image quality and cell health. During imaging, certain environmental conditions must be maintained to avoid changes in the cells.
A variety of high-performance Leica imaging solutions can overcome these challenges for live-cell imaging enabling new information for cellular physiology and dynamics to be discovered.
Our experts on solutions for live cell imaging applications are happy to help you with their advice.
Cell Viability & Dynamics During Imaging
Leica Microsystems provides you with intelligent innovations in live-cell imaging. Our solutions help you get the best image quality while protecting your samples.
Most cellular processes occur in 3 dimensions over time. Therefore, cells need to be imaged in four dimensions (XYZ and time) to obtain a complete picture. Time‐lapse imaging is used to capture cell events over timescales from seconds to months. Repeated imaging of cells at particular points in time is also possible. To protect cell viability during this process, live-cell imaging requires the temperature, pH, and humidity to be kept under control. Light exposure should also be at a minimum to avoid phototoxicity.
Leica Microsystems offers imaging solutions that help optimize your study of live cells, even over long periods of time. They provide the necessary image contrast and resolution to facilitate the analysis of dynamic events. Some Leica systems also enable high-speed imaging, so no key cellular events are missed.
Your Live Cell Imaging Needs
To perform successful live-cell imaging experiments, using the right platform is critical. When choosing an optical microscope for live‐cell imaging, the following 3 variables should be considered: detector sensitivity (signal‐to‐noise ratio), specimen viability, and image-acquisition speed.
Methods suitable for live-cell applications enable visualization of the dynamics without causing cell damage, as it can affect the results.
Live‐cell imaging is mainly performed with fluorescence microscopy. Widefield microscopy, providing flexible excitation and fast acquisition, is typically used to visualize cell dynamics and development over long times. Confocal microscopy is typically used to study subcellular dynamic events. Multiphoton microscopy alllows excitation with longer wavelength light reducing photobleaching and extending cell viability. Finally, fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) can be applied to study fast dynamic signaling events in cells.
Leica Microsystems offers the latest innovations in widefield and confocal imaging technologies for fast 3D live cell imaging with the THUNDER Imagers, STELLARIS confocal platform, and FLIM.
Live Cell Imaging Products
Filter by Area of Application
STELLARIS
With the STELLARIS confocal platform, we have re-imagined confocal microscopy to get you closer to the truth.
K5
sCMOS Microscope Camera
THUNDER Imager Model Organism
The THUNDER Imager Model Organism allows fast and easy 3D exploration of whole organisms for developmental or molecular biology research.
STELLARIS DLS
Discover new applications by combining confocal and light-sheet microscopy
THUNDER Imager Live Cell & 3D Cell Culture & 3D Assay
THUNDER Imagers provide you with a solution for advanced 3D cell culture assays, whether you want to study stem cells, spheroids, or organoids.
THUNDER Imager Tissue
The THUNDER Imager Tissue allows real-time fluorescence imaging of 3D tissue sections typically used in neuroscience and histology research.
PAULA
Smart Cell Imager
STELLARIS 8 FALCON
FLIM Microscope
LAS X Life Science
Software platform for life science applications
DMi8 S Platform
For routine to live cell research
Infinity TIRF
Multicolor advanced TIRF module
Leica DMi1
Entry level inverted microscope
Leica DM IL LED
Inverted Laboratory Microscope with LED Illumination
Leica DFC365 FX
1.4 MP cooled monochrome camera for standard live cell imaging of GFP-expressing cells and tissues
About Live Cell Imaging
Besides the structural organization of cells or organs, dynamic processes are a major contributor to a functioning biological entity. Naturally, these processes can be best observed in living cells with non-invasive techniques like optical methods, collectively called “live-cell imaging” methods. Live-cell imaging covers all techniques where live cells are observed with microscopes – from the observation of embryogenesis with stereo microscopes, via cell growth studies with compound microscopes, until studies of physiological states of cells or cellular transport using fluorescent dyes or proteins. Although being highly demanding for both, experimenter and equipment (e.g. imaging systems, climate control), live-cell imaging techniques deliver results that are indispensable for present-day research.
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Individual Macromolecule Motion in a Crowded Living Cell
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4Pi-RESOLFT Nanoscopy
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Light Sheet Microscopy Turned Vertically
Living cells and organisms often suffer from the high light intensities used for fluorescent imaging. Light sheet microscopy reduces phototoxic effects and bleaching by illuminating a specimen in only…Read article
Probes that FIT RNA
We have been developing new tools based on fluorogenic forced intercalation (FIT) probes for RNA detection quantification and interference in biological samples. Upon duplex formation with target…Read article
Fluorescent Proteins Illuminate Cell Biology
Green fluorescent protein (GFP) isolated from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria and GFP-like fluorescent proteins from other animals have had an important role in the technical innovations that have…Read article
Cortical Actin Networks Induce Spatio-temporal Confinement of Phospholipids in the Plasma Membrane – A Minimally Invasive Investigation by STED-FCS
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Multi-protein Assemblies Underlie the Mesoscale Organization of the Plasma Membrane
Most proteins have uneven distributions in the plasma membrane. Broadly speaking, this may be caused by mechanisms specific to each protein, or may be a consequence of a general pattern that affects…Read article
Correlating Intravital Multi-Photon Microscopy to 3D Electron Microscopy of Invading Tumor Cells Using Anatomical Reference Points
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Third Harmonic Generation Microscopy – Label-Free 3D-Tissue Imaging and Blood Flow Characterization
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Interview with Dr. Gertrude Bunt and Prof. Fred S. Wouters on the FOM 2015
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Pathways to Optical STED Microscopy
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Customized Patterned Substrates for Highly Versatile Correlative Light-Scanning Electron Microscopy
Correlative light electron microscopy (CLEM) combines the advantages of light and electron microscopy, thus making it possible to follow dynamic events in living cells at nanometre resolution. Various…Read article
Towards Digital Photon Counting Cameras for Single-molecule Optical Nanoscopy
A SPAD array camera with single-photon sensitivity and zero read-out noise allows for the detection of extremely weak signals at ultra-fast imaging speeds. With temporal resolution in the order of…Read article
Video: High Speed Scanning – With two Scanners in one System
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Immunotherapy to Combat Cancer: "Sleeping Beauty" – DNA Plasmid-based Gene Transfer System to Modify T Cells
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A Bright Dye for Live-Cell STED Microscopy
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Axon Injury and Regeneration in the Adult Drosophila
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Nanoscale Protein Diffusion by STED-Based Pair Correlation Analysis
We describe for the first time the combination between cross-pair correlation function analysis (pair correlation analysis or pCF) and stimulated emission depletion (STED) to obtain diffusion maps at…Read article
ICln: A New Regulator of Non-Erythroid 4.1R Localisation and Function
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The Environment Makes the Stem Cell
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