Feb. 17, 2010

Versatile High-End Microscopy

Olympus introduced a versatile, range of research microscope systems. The Olympus xcellence line covers advanced live cell techniques such as real-time high-speed imaging, TIRFM & HILO (cell^TIRF), photo control such as FRAP, FLIP & photo activation (cell^FRAP), and laser spinning disc confocal (cell^SPIN). moreNov. 24, 2009

Surface Plasmon Enhanced TIRF Imaging

Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRFM) is a powerful technique for imaging dynamic membrane events in living cells. However the information gained from TIRFM may be limited by the intensity of the florescence signal and by background noise emanating from the inner part of the cell. Here we describe how Surface Plasmon Mediated Fluorescence Microscopy (SPMFM) can enhance TIRFM by increasing the fluorescence signal 5-6 fold and by reducing background noise dramatically. moreNov. 04, 2009

Catching Enzymes in the Act

Proteins that copy and edit DNA help protect cells from attack by removing viral DNA insertions. They are thought to reach their target sequence by "sliding", "hopping" and "jumping" along DNA strands. Observing this behavior has proved hard, however, due to its speed of action. We discuss a recent research project that used a high-speed camera to observe - for the first time - the sliding and jumping of EcoRV, a restriction enzyme, along DNA molecules.
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