Variable Pressure Capillary-based High Pressure System

Variable Pressure Capillary-based high pressure system for live cell, high resolution microscopy.
Variable Pressure Capillary-based high pressure system for live cell, high resolution microscopy

Instrument Overview

A home-built capillary-based high pressure microscopy system (pressure range 0.1 to 1150 MPa) is associated with an ISS Alba Fluorescence Fluctuation and Lifetime imaging microscope.

Specifications

The system is high resolution, with either 1 (488, 532, 631 nm) or 2-photon excitation with an inverted microscope and a 100X oil objective, NA = 1.4 (Nikon APO, VC). All pressure connections (tubing, lines, glands) were 1/8 in in diameter (High Pressure Equipment, Inc., Erie PA) to minimize the footprint of the high-pressure apparatus. Moreover, we used an RF-1700 constant high-pressure pump from (Pressure BioSciences, Inc., South Easton, MA) with a maximum pressure set to 15,000 psi (~100 MPa). The microscope can be used for both in vitro and live cell experiments, including Number and Brightness, RICS, confocal imaging, smFRET, FLIM/Phasor and even PALM. No temperature control is currently available. Ambient Temperature is set at 21 °C.

An article on this instrument can be found in the BioPhysical Journal, Volume 118, Issue 11, Bourges et al. Subscription is required.

How to Obtain Access

If you would like to obtain access to this instrument, please email the Principal Investigator below.

Principal Investigator

Catherine Royer Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, USA

Typical Results

 

Variable Pressure/Variable Temperature Microscopy Typical Results