Zeiss expands its super-resolution microscope range

04 Dec 2023

Lattice SIM product family operates across all scales and applications.

Zeiss Microscopy, Jena, Germany, a manufacturer of visible, electron, X-ray and ion microscope systems, has added two super-resolution microscopes to its structured illumination microscopy (SIM) range.

To help researchers unlock the full potential of SIM, two new systems will join the established super-resolution microscope ZEISS Elyra 7 to create a new Lattice SIM product family.

Like Elyra 7, the new scopes – Lattice SIM 3 and Lattice SIM 5 – use structured illumination to overcome the physical resolution limits of light microscopy. Each system uses this technology to address specific fields of application

The expanded range offers better access to super-resolution imaging for a wider range of applications, from outstanding optical sectioning of tissues and developing organisms to high-speed imaging of living cells to resolution excellence at the molecular level.

Structured illumination microscopy

Unlike conventional structured illumination techniques, the Zeiss implementation of SIM uses a lattice spot pattern instead of grid lines. This leads to a significant increase in imaging speed, higher contrast, and half as much light exposure – making Lattice SIM an advantageous live cell imaging technique.

In addition, the new microscopes employ the SIM Apotome technology for fast, high-resolution optical sectioning of larger samples, such as cell culture models, organoids, and developing organisms.

The SIM² image reconstruction algorithm provides the additional benefit of a doubled SIM resolution. Making specific use of these technical principles, each product in the range has its own application focus.

Zeiss Lattice SIM 3 is designed to meet the imaging requirements of multicellular organisms and tissue sections. This system exploits the potential of the SIM Apotome technology: fast optical sectioning, large fields of view with access to smaller regions of interest, near-isotropic resolution, and the gentlest super-resolution imaging possible.

Lattice SIM 5 has been optimized for single cell imaging as well as capturing subcellular structures and their fast dynamics. Utilizing the Lattice SIM technology and the SIM² image reconstruction algorithm, Lattice SIM 5 provides researchers with outstanding super-resolution down to 60 nm in both living and fixed cells.

The Elyra 7 features several microscopy techniques: Lattice SIM², SIM² Apotome, single molecule localization microscopy and total internal reflection fluorescence. Users can combine these techniques for deeper insights from their specimen and to correlate the acquired data. With its focus on SMLM, Zeiss Elyra 7 provides resolution excellence down to the molecular level, enabling molecular quantification and the study of molecular interactions.

Zeiss’ launch statement says: “Researchers can now address their specific experimental requirements much more precisely by balancing sample size, imaging speed, and super-resolution capabilities according to the needs of their applications. These are the newest imaging tools enabling scientists for discoveries in organoid research, cell biology, developmental biology, neuroscience, immunology and pharma research.”