Confocal microscopy is nowadays a standard technology for high resolution observations of living or fixed biological samples. It allows volume reconstructions and time sequencing, two features that proved to be extremely powerful when applied to the study of living cells, tissues or organisms. A confocal microscope differs from a traditional fluorescence microscope for the use of a LASER as a light source (which drastically improves image quality because of the higher intensity and coherence of the emitted light), and for the presence of an optical and electronical system that allows the optical scanning of a sample section (optical section) and its reconstruction on a computer display.

Our lab has two confocal microscopes with different performances and applications.

A Bio-Rad ViewScan microscope, performing a line scanning of the sample and allowing direct observation and video-rate image acquisition.

An Olympus FluoView microscope, that can reach higher resolutions and thinner optical sections. It can therefore be used for many applications such as 3D-reconstructions, time sequencing or in situ fluorescence hybridisation (FISH).

All our instruments are accessible by guest users, with the help of our technical staff. For questions and reservations, please read our fee list and contact: genre@bioveg.unito.it