Confocal Microscopy
Confocal microscopy is an optical sectioning technique which enables us to look non-invasively into cells and tissues and build up a three-dimensional image of these. The technique is widely-used in universities, research institutions, hospitals and industry.
There are two main designs of confocal microscope; the point-scanning confocal and the multiple-beam (spinning disc) confocal. The point-scanner can precisely optically section a sample, whilst the spinning disc system is good for rapidly capturing images of moving samples. We will have an example of a spinning disc confocal microscope available. You will have an opportunity to explore and understand the advantages of each and how they work.
Areas covered include: image acquisition, single image collection, Z-stack formation, 3-D and 4-D reconstruction.