Specialized Equipment

These instruments are either common equipment or affiliated with specific Sars Groups. The list was last updated on 03.03.2025.

Confocal Microscopes

Olympus SpinSR10 Spinning Disc Microscope.

Allows for rapid super-resolution imaging of live cells with a minimum of phototoxicity. There are 405nm, 488nm, 561nm, 640nm, 445nm, and 514nm lasers and the dual camera setup allows for simultaneous imaging of two channels. The motorized stage and a maximum acquisition speed of 5 ms/frame allow for quick imaging of multiple regions or even entire slides. FRET is available using a high-power 445nm laser.

Both the FV3000 and Olympus SpinSR10 are equipped with software for FRET and the following objectives: UPLXAPO10X Air (0.4 NA), UPlanSApo objectives 30x Silicon (1.05NA), 40x Silicon (1.25 NA), 60x Silicon (1.30 NA) and 60x Oil 60x 1.42 NA). In addition, the spinning disc microscope has a 3.2x secondary magnification objective for super resolution.

FV3000 Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope

A flexible imaging platform with silicon objectives allowing for imaging deep inside large tissue samples and a hybrid scanner can acquire images at up to 438 frames/second. Olympus super-resolution technology (FV-OSR) gives high-resolution imaging down to 120nm. FRET is available with any lasers.

Femto-2D Multiphoton Microscope

Mainly used for two-photon microscopy, calcium/voltage imaging in deep tissue and highly autofluorescent samples.

The microscope is a Femtonics 2D upright microscope (based on Olympus BX61 WI scope) and is equipped with multiple objectives including 20x water immersion (1.6mm and 3.5mmW.D.; 0.5NA) and 60x oil immersion (0.15mm W.D.; 1.42NA).

A Coherent Chameleon Ultra II laser creates an output power of >3.5W at 800nm and a tuning range of 690 to 1080nm. The microscope is using fast galvano scanners with digital servo drivers. It has 3 upper PMT detectors for high sensitivity imaging and a small CMOS camera for sample identification. It has multiple beam splitters for blue, green and red detection. There is a Luigs&Neumann 380FM-2P motorized stage and the entire microscope is mounted on an optical table. Runs Femtonics modular measurement control and analysis software MES.

Leica Stellaris 8 Falcon Confocal Microscope

Confocal microscope mainly used for Laser-scanning Fluorescence Confocal Microscopy of fixed and live samples, multi-position/multi-well imaging, Optogenetic manipulations, Fluorescence LifeTime Imaging (FLIM).

Motorized, inverted DMi8 microscope. All objectives are HC PL APO available as 20x air,40x water, 40x glycerol, 63x water immersion. Lasers available are an 405nm diode and a white light laser (WLL). Equipped with 3 detectors: 1x HyD S (bright channels, no FLIM), HyD X (dim channels, photo counting, FLIM), HyD R (strictly far-red dyes). Water pump for long acquisition times using water immersion objectives and a temperature control chamber are available. Computer with LAS X driver DFC9000 GT/C license and AIVIA software installed.

Zeiss Imager M2

Motorized transmission and epifluorescence compound microscope. 5x, 20x air immersion,40x, 63x, 100x oil immersion, and 40x water immersion objective. Cooling collar for oil immersion objectives. Brightfield and DIC. Filter cubes: GFP, mCherry, CFP. Cameras: ZeissAxiocam 305 color (2464 x 2056 Pixel, 30 fps @ full size) and Pco.edge gold 5.5monochrome (2160 x 2560 Pixel, 32 fps @ full size). Antivibration table.

Nikon Eclipse E800

Transmission- and epifluorescence compound microscope. 10x, 20x, 40x air immersion and 40x, 60x, 100x oil immersion objectives. Brightfield and DIC. Filter cubes: Dapi, GFP, YFP and G+2A Nikon DS-Fi1 color Camera (2560 x 1920 Pixel, 5.9 fps @ full resolution).

Zeiss Examiner A1

Fixed stage transmission- and epifluorescence compound microscope. 2.5x, 10x, 20x, 40x air immersion and 100x oil immersion objective. Brightfield, DIC, Polarisation. Filter cubes: DAPI, GFP, TRITC. Camera: Zeiss Axiocam MR color (1388 x 1040 Pixel).

Zeiss Discovery V8

Dissecting microscope with 8x zoom and on-axis optics. 1.0x objective. Transmission light base. Zeiss Axiocam MR color camera (1388 x 1040 Pixel).

Leica M165 FC

Epifluorescence dissecting microscope with 16.5x zoom. 1.0x objective. Transmission light base with bright field, dark field, and Rotterman contrast. Filter cubes: GFP, Texas Red. Leica DFC450 color camera (3340 x 2830 Pixel).

Image processing workstation

Image processing workstation. Windows, Imaris 8.4.

The Microinjection Facility

The facility has three Nikon TE2000 series inverted microscopes and one model TE300 that have transmitted, DIC and fluorescent lighting with an assortment of filter cubes (incl. DAPI, EGFP, EYFP, ECFP, and TRITC), objectives (4x, 10x, 20x, 40x) and Narishige MMO-202^ND manual joystick micromanipulators. The three TE2000 injection stations use Eppendorf FemtoJet electronic air pressured injectors and Cell Tram oil manual micromanipulators for immobilizing zygotes. An on-line booking system is available for all users to reserve a microscope according to their needs, without restrictions on time/duration.

WOLF G2 for fluorescence activated cell sorting

A benchtop microfluidics-based cell sorting device combining easy workflows with flow cytometry features for cell sorting using typical Forward- (FSC) and Back- (BSC) scatter detectors. Equipped with two lasers (488nm, 55mW diode and 561nm, 55mW diode) and four emission detection bandpass filters (580/25, 620/50, 706/95, 760LP) allowing to detect up to nine fluorophores (e.g. Phycoerythrin, propidium iodide, mCherry, FITC/GFP, Cy5.5, Cy7). Maintains simple workflows for either bulk sorting or single-cell dispensing. Single-cell sorting can be completed in 96- or 384-well plates. Analysis speed: >5000 events/sec with up to99% purity.

Cell transfection with Lonza 4D-Nucleofector®

Facilitates substrate-independent transfection of cells with DNA, RNA, RNPs, and proteins. Used by the Burkhardt group for transfection of choanoflagellates with plasmids or Cas9-RNPs. The nucleofection unit is compatible with 20μL Nucleocuvette® Strips and 100μL single Nucleocuvette® and supports the nucleofection of various cell numbers (2 x 104 to 2 x107). Adjustable electroporation parameters makes it compatible with various kinds of conventional and non-conventional cells. The user must purchase their own cuvettes and nucleofection buffers.

Purification of proteins (& other biomolecules)

An ÄKTA pure 25 protein purification system is available in the Burkhardt group. It is a flexible system for the reliable purification of proteins, peptides, nucleic acids, and other biomolecules. It simplifies purification workflows and reduces hands-on time, and can also be configured for increase capabilities depending on the purification needs. The system supports a wide range of chromatography techniques such as affinity and ion-exchange chromatography (MonoQ and MonoS columns available). In addition, gel filtration experiments (using available Superdex 75 and 200 columns) can be performed to study protein-protein interactions.

MiSeq Sequencer

Available to sequence DNA or cDNA libraries that carry Illumina adapters. Prior to any run, the concentration and size distribution of libraries should be carefully checked, by using standard approaches such as Qubit, Bioanalyzer, QPCR and TapeStation. Sequencing runs must be performed with MiSeq sequencing kits, available for purchase at Illumina. The kit version will determine the output of the sequencing run (up to 15 Gb, corresponding to 25 million reads) and the length of the reads (up to 300 bp, paired-end reads).

Nanopore long-read sequencer

An Oxford Nanopore Technologies PromethION 2 Solo and a MinION is available for long-read sequencing. This platform can sequence both DNA and RNA, either amplified or native to capture endogenous modifications (e.g. methylation). The fragment lengths can be from short (~200 bases) up to ultra-long (millions of bases) depending on use case. The PromethION is suited for high-throughput experiments while the MinION fits in a pocket and can be used for sequencing samples in the field.

Electrophysiology rigs

For those with some experience in electrophysiology, a two-electrode voltage clamp set-up for large cells (HEKA software) and a patch-clamp setup for small cells (inverted IX83 microscope, Siskiyou piezo exchanger, Axon Instruments 200B amplifier and software, 4X and 20X objectives, brightfield and GFP fluorescence, 2.3 MP CMOS camera up to 41 FPS) are available in the Lynagh group.

There is also an MF-2 microforge for polishing micropipettes (holders for 1, 1.2, and 1.5 diameter micropipettes) and osmometer (Gonotec Osmomat) for solutions.

10X genomics Chromium X and Chromium X controller

The Chromium X and the Chromium controller allow to use any currently available 10XGenomics single-cell assay, enabling the profiling of thousands to hundreds of thousands of cells. All accessory devices (e.g. LT and HT magnetic rack, Vortex adapter for beads, Bioanalyzer) commonly used during the sample and library preparation step are also available on site.

Bio-Rad CFX Opus 96 qPCR machine

It has a 96-well capacity for PCR tubes with 1-50μl sample size. Can detect up to 5 dyes using 6 filter LEDs for excitation (range: 450 to 584nm) and 6 photodiode detectors detecting light at range 515-730nm to detect f.ex. SYBRTM green, FAM, HEX, ROX and Cy5. CFX Maestro software allows for easy analysis of melt-curve experiments. Data obtained in this machine can either be exported to a USB or sent via email.

Leica CM1860 Cryostat

This newly acquired cryostat unit is suited to routine histology with frozen samples, giving sections from 1μm-100μm, at a chamber temperature range of 0 to -35°C. Cutting is done with a Leica C-profile stainless steel knife (one knife will be available for visitor use).

Bookings for reservations can be made via a calendar and are not time restricted.

3D printer

An ultimaker S5 FDM printer with a build volume of 330 x 240 x 300 mm is available in the Christiaen group. The dual extruder setup allows for printing of support material or composites including high strength glass or carbon fiber. The printer also includes auto bed-levelling and material handling to improve print reliability and ease of use.