Techniques - Keele University

Tecniques

We offer the following microscopical techniques:

Light microscopy

  1. paraffin or resin embedding for light microscopy
  2. sectioning (thick or semi-thin)
  3. standard anatomical and histochemical staining
  4. immunofluorescence or immunoperoxidase staining
  5. bright field, phase contrast or Nomarski DIC

Confocal and two-photon imaging

  1. imaging of sections, cell cultures or whole mounts
  2. immunofluorescence
  3. 3-D image stacking and processing
  4. in vitro vital dye imaging with time-course analysis

Conventional transmission electron microscopy

  1. resin embedding for TEM
  2. sectioning (semi-thin or ultrathin )
  3. standard ultrastructural staining
  4. negative staining
  5. quantitative and semi-quantitative immunogold labelling using antibodies
  6. stereological analysis

High resolution scanning electron microscopy

  1. sample dehydration (critical point drying)
  2. sample coating – sputter coating with gold or OTOTO
  3. wet sample imaging
  4. high resolution imaging ~ 1.5 nm
  5. high depth-of-field low power imaging
  6. backscattered electron imaging

Conventional and digital imaging

  1. all confocal, LM, SEM and TEM images can be acquired digitally
  2. conventional photography, photographic development and printing available
  3. software available for image quantification and analysis
  4. slide maker available for 35 mm slides (from PowerPoint)