Microscopy and Microbeams
The most heavily used microbeam system in LAMMP is the CATS, or Confocal Ablation Trapping System. This system allows simultaneous imaging, addressable pixel fluorescence spectroscopy (one and two photon excitation), and optical manipulation of cells and tissues with "laser tweezers" and "laser scissors". Both wide field methods and laser scanning are used for imaging. Laser "scissors" methods include microbeam inactivation, optoporation, and albation/microdissection of organelles, cells, and tissues. Laser tweezers are high power and tunable from ~720-900 nm. A recent modification of the CATS platform involves the addition of a Raman micro-spectroscopy mode of operation. With expanded core technology research and development in spatially-modulated microscopy (SMM), CATS will undergo further upgrades to accommodate tens to hundreds of parallel microbeam arrays. In addition to CATS, a new Zeiss microscope with combined microbeam and electrophysiology measurement capability (patch clamp) was established to further collaborative studies involvign light activated ion channels. Finally, a new Zeiss LSM 510 META NLO microscope with a Coherent Chamelion Ultra tunable source (690-1040 nm) was successfully integrated into the resource.
