PoL – Physics of Life | PoL Microscopy

PoL Microscopy

Group Leader: Bert Nitzsche

Microscopy techniques in biology and biophysics offer a tremendously powerful and complex toolbox requiring highly specific expertise for optimal usage and maintenance. The Physics of Life (PoL) Microscopy is a core facility which offers state-of-the-art technology for imaging across scales. We have a wide range of instruments to support experiments involving a variety of model organisms (live and fixed), cultured cells, and organoids.

Our Mission

PoL Microscopy provides imaging services from scientists for scientists which include both optimally maintained instrumentation as well as application training and support. We keep particular focus on addressing the major challenges that our users typically face:

  • Live imaging of a wide range of model organisms and specific scientific questions demand specialized imaging setups rather than a one-fits-all solution
  • On-the-fly) data evaluation and feedback microscopy are adding further layers of complexity
  • Measurements of physical quantities as well as perturbation or manipulation of samples require complex integrated systems and expertise which is broad and specific at the same time
  • Experiments generating terabytes of data are no longer an exception and data handling has become a serious bottleneck in microscopy workflows

Our instruments

Nikon Spinning Disk Confocal with CSU-W1 SoRa

Zeiss LSM980 Confocal with AiryScan2

Bruker JPK NanoWizard 4XP AFM on Zeiss LSM700 Confocal

Luxendo TrueLive3D Imager Light-sheet

Lumicks C-Trap Optical Tweezers

Our Services

We support our users by

  • providing and maintaining a suitable mix of state-of-the-art instruments for high-end optical imaging as well as for force-spectroscopy and manipulation experiments
  • assisting in optimal instrument choice and workflow design, starting with the scientific question and considering data handling and processing as integral part of the project
  • teaching theory and providing hands-on-training of specific instruments to enable usage of our equipment to its full potential
  • customizing and developing instrumentation and workflow when useful