Lab Equipment
In brief descriptions, highlights of our lab equipment and instrumentation are listed below. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!
Microscopy labs
![]() | Lumicks C-trap with confocal microscope A 21 W 1064 nm laser can be used to generate one, two or four traps simultaneously with high trapping forces. The set-up is combined with a pressure-driven microfluidic setup and a confocal microscope with 488 nm, 532 nm and 638 nm lasers. Funded by the ERC. contact: Pallavi Kumari |
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![]() | Lumicks C-trap with epifluorescence and TIRF microscope A 21 W 1064 nm laser can be used to generate one, two or four traps simultaneously with high trapping forces. The set-up is combined with a pressure-driven microfluidic setup and a wide field fluorescence and TIRF microscope. Funded by REACT-EU, more details see here contact: Kaan Ürgüp, Shanay Zafari |
![]() | JPK/Bruker Atomic Force Microscope We use the NanoWizard® 4 XP BioScience AFM for microscopy and force spectroscopy of biological materials. The AFM is combined with an Olympus IX73 which allows the direct overlay of fluorescence images and AFM images. The optional HybridStage increases the scanning field from 100 µm × 100 µm × 15 µm to 200 µm x 200 µm x 200 µm. Funded by the DFG and the MWK. contact: Ruth Meyer, Anna Blob |
![]() | Optical Stretcher We run an optical stretcher (by RSZelltechnik GmbH) for contactless stretching of single cells, combining a microfluidic cell delivery system with intense, divergent laser light (1060 nm). It can be mounted on a fluorescence microscope, but our measurement chamber has been optimized for x-ray applications using our in-house setups as well as synchrotron stations. Funded by the BMBF. contact: Jan-Philipp Burchert |
![]() | Olympus IX71 TIRF microscope With the IX71 Olympus TIRF setup, we can image fluorescent samples close to the substrate independent of a potentially high fluorophore concentration in solution. For example, the setup enables us to observe the dynamic instability of microtubules. The setup is equipped with a 488-nm laser, a 561-nm laser, an oil immersion TIRF objective (NA = 1.45, 150x) and a digital CMOS camera. Funded by the DFG. contact: Tiago Mimoso, Saheli Dey |
![]() | Olympus IX73 microscope with FCS modality The IX73 Olympus FCS setup has a conventional epi-fluorescence component and a home-built confocal component for high imaging flexibility. With the confocal component, fluorescence fluctuation techniques, such as FCS, PCH or FCCS can be employed. The setup is equipped with a 491-nm and a 532-nm laser for two color measurements, a 60x water immersion objective and two τ-SPAD detectors for FFS and a digital CMOS camera for epi-fluorescence recordings. Funded by the DFG. contact: Ulrike Rölleke |
![]() | Olympus IX83 confocal microscope The IX83 Olympus with Fluoview 3000 enables both epi-fluorescence microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy with high sensitvity and speed using laser lines of 405nm, 488nm, 561nm and 640nm. With a magnification up to 100x it is used for fixed samples as well as live-cell imaging in combination with a top-stage incubator. Our setup is also equipped with a "Caliburn" laser-cutting system from Rapp OptoElectronic GmbH. Funded by the DFG. contact: Ruth Meyer, Anna Blob |
![]() | Olympus IX81 confocal microscope The IX81 confocal setup offers both widefield epi-fluorescence and confocal fluorescence microscopy. It is equipped with objectives up to a magnification of 100x (oil immersion, NA=1.4), laser lines of 405nm, 458 nm, 488 nm, 515 nm, 561 nm and 635 nm and a CMOS camera. In combination with a top stage incubator it enables multi-color fluorescence live cell imaging. Funded by the DFG. contact: Ulrike Rölleke, Anna Blob |
![]() | Olympus IX81 live cell microscope The IX81 cell setup offers widefield epi-fluorescence microscopy. Currently, it is equipped with objectives up to a magnification of 60x (oil immersion, NA=1.49) and in combination with a Retiga 6000 CCD camera with very small pixel size it is suitable for Traction Force Microscopy (TFM). The top stage incubator allows the investigation of living cells. Additionally, the microscope is equipped with a Chiaro nanoindentor from Optics11 that measures elastic properties like the Young's modulus of samples. Funded by the DFG. contact: Mangalika Sinha |
![]() | Olympus IX83 with Alvéole PRIMO photo patterning setup The photo patterning setup allows for contact-less micro patterning of proteins. A virtual mask is generated, through which a photoactive reagent locally degrades a passivation layer on the sample surface. Micrometer scale patterns of different shapes and sizes can be generated and used for cell culture or protein interaction studies. Funded by the DFG. contact: Tiago Mimoso, Anna Blob |
![]() | Olympus BX43 and BX63 upright fluorescence microscopes On both of our upright microscopes, the Olympus BX43 and the Olympus BX63, 40x and 60x water immersion objectives allow imaging on fluorescent samples on opaque or strongly diffracting surfaces. contact: Ruth Meyer |
X-ray lab
![]() | Xenocs XEUSS 2.0 Our XEUSS 2.0 x-ray scattering instrument by Xenocs includes a Cu K alpha micro x-ray source that generates photons of 8 keV and a flux of approximately 40Mph/s. Scatterless slits set the pencil beam size to 800 x 800 µm2 or 500 x 500 µm2 at the sample. The sample chamber enables ambient as well as vacuum conditions. The sample stage accepts various sample holders for scanning in two directions. Mounts for dried samples in different sizes are available. For liquid samples, the setup is equipped with sample holders for batches of glass capillaries and a low noise flow cell. The 1M Pilatus x-ray detector, a 2d hybrid pixel detector, is positioned with a distance between 0.1 to 6 m, enabling WAXS and SAXS. Funded by the DFG and the MWK. contact: Charlotte August, Jan-Philipp Burchert, Peter Luley |
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Cell culture labs
![]() | Cell culture labs We have two cell culture labs. The bacterial lab is mainly used to grow genetically modified E.coli cultures and thereof preparing recombinant proteins (mainly intermediate filaments), which are further used in a variety of experiments. In the mammalian cell culture lab we culture epithelial cells, fibroblasts, cardiomyocytes and blood platelets. Using techniques like liposome-based transfection or electroporation we specifically modify the cells and investigate them using live cell imaging techniques or various fixation methods combined with antibody staining. contact: Susanne Bauch, Kamila Sabagh, Ulrike Rölleke |
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Preparation labs
![]() | Wet labs for sample preparation We have two preparation labs which are equipped with, for example, ultra centrifuges, refrigerated centrifuges, plasma cleaners, a spin coater, UV-Vis spectrometer, thermocyclers, -80°C freezers and a clean bench for microfluidics. contact: Susanne Bauch, Kamila Sabagh, Ulrike Rölleke or any lab member |
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Cleanroom
![]() | Nanoscribe Photonic Professional GT2 In the cleanroom (F.-1.117), we use a Photonic Professional GT2 by Nanoscribe, a microfabrication system for ultra-precise and rapid 3d printing. It combines the precision of two-photon polymerization with a straightforward 3d printing workflow for nano- and microscale structures, e.g. for microfluidics or microoptics. It offers high-speed 3D microfabrication of lateral feature sizes down to typ. 160 nm, but also includes a large features solution set for millimeter-sized parts (up to 100 × 100 × 8 mm³). Funded by the DFG (MBExC). contact: Peter Luley |
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