Microscopy | Department of Medicine | School of Medicine

The TIME Core Microscopy Laboratory provides advanced imaging technologies to support high-resolution, dynamic and multiplexed analysis of cells and tissues.

Led by Dr. Patricia Lima, the laboratory supports both live and fixed-cell imaging, allowing researchers to capture biological processes in real time or examine structural detail with advanced confocal and widefield microscopy.

Microscopy Capabilities

The laboratory provides access to advanced imaging platforms for live-cell imaging, deep-tissue analysis, fluorescence lifetime imaging and highly multiplexed biomarker detection.

Equipment includes:

Widefield microscopy with live-cell imaging – Leica MICA
Two-photon confocal microscopy with FALCON – Leica SP8 System
Tau-contrast confocal microscopy – Leica STELLARIS Confocal Microscope with SpectraPlex
Hyperplexed imaging – Leica STELLARIS Confocal Microscope with SpectraPlex

STELLARIS Confocal Microscope with SpectraPlex

The Leica STELLARIS confocal microscope supports high-resolution spectral imaging and advanced fluorescence lifetime analysis. With SpectraPlex, researchers can detect more than 15 markers within a single imaging session, enabling highly multiplexed analysis of complex samples.

Key features

White Light Laser supporting up to eight simultaneous excitation lines across the spectrum
Power HyD detectors with sensitive spectral detection from 410 to 850 nm
Large field-of-view scanner with LAS X Navigator software for high-speed imaging and uniform illumination
Adaptive Focus Control to maintain focus during imaging
Advanced spectral unmixing to separate overlapping fluorescent signals and reduce crosstalk

Objectives

PL FLUOTAR 5×/0.15 DRY
PL APO 10×/0.40 CS2
HC PL APO 20×/0.75 IMM CORR CS2
HC PL APO 63×/1.40 OIL CS2
HC PL APO 100×/1.40–0.70 OIL

TauSense fluorescence lifetime imaging

TauContrast – provides functional information such as metabolic status, pH and ion concentrations
TauGating – improves image quality by removing unwanted fluorescence contributions
TauSeparation – expands the combination of fluorescent signals beyond standard spectral options
TauInteraction – supports detection and quantification of molecular interactions, including protein-protein interactions

SpectraPlex tools

Streamlined panel-design workflow
Automated acquisition settings
Advanced spectral unmixing with adaptive acquisition settings
Virtual Fridge database for managing laboratory-specific markers
Design Panel tools to optimize fluorophore combinations and panel configurations

Integrated Spatialomics Support

The Microscopy Laboratory is integrated with TIME Core’s molecular biology, histology and flow cytometry platforms to support advanced spatialomics research.

Using technologies such as Leica Cell DIVE, Leica SpectraPlex and the Leica Aivia software suite, researchers can combine molecular profiling with spatially resolved imaging to study complex tissue and cellular environments.

Planning your experiment

Need help planning your microscopy experiment?

Contact the TIME Core team before beginning your study to discuss imaging requirements, panel design and the most appropriate microscopy platform for your research goals.

Patricia Lima: pdal@queensu.ca

Curtis Noordhof: noordhof@queensu.ca