A specially designed two-photon microscope benefits physiology and medical researchers the University of Liverpool
The Department of Physiology at the University of Liverpool has a Leica TCS SP2 MP dual two-photon confocal microscope.
It was specifically designed for the department's applications and for collaborative projects with the Department of Medicine. Alexei Tepikin, senior scientist, explained: "The microscope has two infrared lasers and is capable of producing two photon reactions simultaneously with two wavelengths of excitation.
This allows one laser to induce a photolytic reaction in a cell or tissue to create active molecules from non-active precursors, while the other scans the tissue to monitor the resulting physiological events.
Another application of the dual two-photon microscopy involves simultaneous usage of multiple probes for studies of cellular function." "Our particular interest is in cell signalling events, mostly in pancreatic and gastroenterological tissues.
The advantage of the two-photon system is that we can work with more intact preparations to obtain information from the deeper layers of tissue.
This was not previously possible with simple confocal microscopy.
We are now able to look at the signalling mechanisms of cells without removing them from their environment, and can compare the interactions and signalling mechanisms of different cell types." "One of the most important reasons for choosing Leica was the enthusiasm of the microscopy specialists and engineers to collaborate in the development of this new application.
Leica also has a very good reputation for quality of service and it was important for us that the service and development work was done properly and effectively."
