Microscopes at the
AMI Imaging Centre

The AMI Imaging Centre currently has five high-end, commercial microscopes, each with distinct uses and applications. Please see the list of microscopes at the bottom of the page.

The AMI microscopes are Open-Access and free-to-use to any researcher from a university or institution within Africa conducting not-for-profit research. Each microscope can be accessed following a successful project application. >> More information

Super-resolution fluorescence microscopy allows researchers to see details that are not visible using standard fluorescence microscopy. Super-resolution techniques such as Single Molecule Localization Microscopy (SMLM) and Airyscan can overcome the limitations caused by the diffraction of light—the physical phenomenon that makes it impossible for standard microscopes to distinguish (or resolve) details smaller than about 200 nanometers. This increased resolution allows researchers to capture and study previously unseen structures and biological processes, providing new insights. These techniques can be employed in a variety of applications, such as live-cell imaging and single molecule tracking.

Through the AMI Imaging Centre, you have access to Single Molecule Localization Microscopy (SMLM) and Structured Illumination Microscopy (SIM) through the Elyra 7 as well as Image Scanning Microscopy (also known as "Airyscan") with the LSM 980. For more information on the AMI super-resolution microscopes and what work can be done using them, please see the Elyra 7 and LSM 980.

Live-cell fluorescence microscopy is used to study the behaviour and function of cells in their natural environment. This allows researchers to visualise specific structures or dynamic processes within the cell in real time.

Live cell microscopy requires that samples are maintained at specific conditions. Most microscopes at the AMI Imaging Centre have temperature- and CO₂-controlled incubators that allow researchers to image cells and other small organisms at physiologically relevant conditions. Furthermore, live samples enable us to study biology in new ways by using special applications such as Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP). By combining spatial and temporal information, live-sample microscopy provides context beyond what any molecular or cellular assay can provide.

For more information on the AMI microscopes that support live-cell experiments, please see the Elyra 7 (super-resolution, TIRF), LSM 980 (confocal, super-resolution, spectral imaging), Axio Observer 7 (deconvolution and extended spectral detection), and Celldiscoverer 7 (high throughput).

Multi-channel fluorescence microscopy can be used to visualise multiple proteins and targets of interest simultaneously within a single sample. This allows the relationship of molecules and biological features to be studied in cells or tissues. It is an important concept for techniques such as Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET). Multi-spec imaging can be easily achieved for two targets of interest by using fluorescent markers with markedly different spectral properties and corresponding filters. Fluorescent labels that extend into the near-infrared also help to expand the number of features that can be captured easily to three.

For more complex samples with five or more fluorescent labels, computational techniques such as linear unmixing or optical techniques such as spectral detection can be used to disambiguate fluorescent labels with similar profiles that cannot be separated easily using filters. This ultimately enables scientist to confidently discern many different markers and measure the spatial relationships and localisations of (and interactions between) multiple biomolecules.

For more information on the AMI microscopes equipped to image four or more markers simultaneously, please see the instrument details for the LSM 980 (confocal, array detector, live-cell) and Axio Observer 7 (widefield epifluorescence, far-red/near-infrared channel, live-cell).

High-throughput screening microscopy is used for rapidly analysing large numbers of samples to more efficiently identify those that exhibit specific features of interest, such as protein expression or cellular morphology. Using microscopes that can survey large areas of a sample while maintaining useful levels of resolution, scientists can gain detailed information on large samples (i.e., tissue sections) or on extremely large numbers of individual specimens (such as cultured cells or bacteria).

High-throughput microscopes capture a series of images of adjacent regions and combine them into a single large image using a technique called "stitching". It allows researchers to quickly and efficiently analyse large numbers of samples, which can be useful for identifying trends or patterns that may not obviously be discerned in individual samples. High-throughput screening microscopy is useful in a variety of fields, including drug discovery, pathology, cell biology, and neuroscience.

For more information on the AMI screening microscopes, please see information on the TissueFAXS (slide scanning) and Celldiscoverer 7 (live-cell, multi-positional).

Similar to high-throughput microscopes, automated microscopes allow researchers to more efficiently image numerous samples within slides, micro-titre plates, dishes, and micro-array grids. For this, mechanical stages can position the sample holder (i.e., slide, 96-well plate) automatically to rapidly and sequentially capture the specimens in varying positions that correspond to an experimental parameter (e.g.: drug type and dilution series, varying MOI, or altered CRISPRi constructs). This ultimately provides the researcher with large amounts of informative data that can be processed and analysed into quantified metrics. This means that researchers are able to gather enough information to confidently answer their hypothesis.

For more information on the AMI automated microscope, please see additional information on the Celldiscoverer 7, which can also accommodate live samples.

Microscope list

AFRICA MICROSCOPY
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Microscopes at the
AMI Imaging Centre

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AFRICA MICROSCOPY INITIATIVE

Microscopes at the AMI Imaging Centre

Subscribe to the AMI Newsletter

AFRICA MICROSCOPY
INITIATIVE

Microscopes at the
AMI Imaging Centre