The Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute (CRI) is a state-of-the-art imaging centre, featuring confocal systems and TE2000 perfect focus systems (PFS) supplied by Nikon Instruments UK
A partnership between the University of Cambridge and Cancer Research UK, the CRI is dedicated to the most high-tech research into the causes of cancer and the development of new treatments.
Connecting, for the first time, several cancer research groups within Cambridge, the Institute promotes the collaboration between academic researchers across the scientific disciplines; biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies; and NHS clinicians and healthcare providers, all striving to make progress in cancer research for the benefit of the patient.
The ultra-modern new labs are equipped with two Nikon C1si Spectral Confocal systems, one 90i upright motorised microscope and twenty TS100 inverted tissue culture microscopes with fluorescence.
Additionally, Nikon has installed four TE2000 inverted microscopes of which three are equipped with the recently launched PFS.
The PFS is a real time focus facility that automatically detects the surface of the coverslip optically and continually corrects the focus to compensate for even the most infinitesimal changes, thus producing meaningful live cell time-lapse data.
"In cancer research it is often necessary to follow the activity of specific structures, through time, in living cells, and it is imperative that the time-lapse data is accurate," said Stefanie Reichelt, head of imaging and microscopy at the Cambridge Research Institute.
"A temperature fluctuation of even one degree can cause loss of focus and specimen position.
"Nikon's PFS is ideal for live cell imaging as it continually corrects the focus to compensate for thermal changes over long periods of time and is accessible and easy to use.
"Until now we have found it difficult to obtain meaningful data from this type of fundamental live cell experiment and we are hoping to advance our studies with the help of the PFS".
With many of the research groups at the CRI working on histology samples that are notorious for producing auto-fluorescence, Reichelt added: "The sensitivity of the Nikon C1si spectral detector will enable our researchers to distinguish true fluorescence from background noise.
"Nikon has developed a spectral system which is far superior to competing products: proprietary optics and (patent-pending) signal - processing circuitry have increased the system's sensitivity.
"This allows true 32-channel acquisition in one single pass.
"The user can select between 2.5nm, 5nm and 10nm channel width and the spectra has upwards of a 320nm range.
"This will allow us to work with different labels and combinations of dyes which would be otherwise impossible.
"The spectral capability of the C1Si gives our researchers the advantage of state-of-the-art imaging in the spectral dimension."
