STED
The Leica STELLARIS 8 STED FALCON is a high‑end confocal platform combining stimulated emission depletion (STED) super‑resolution with fast fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) via FALCON electronics. The system features tunable white‑light laser excitation, advanced HyD S and X detectors for high sensitivity, low noise, and speed, and TauSense tools for lifetime‑based contrast, unmixing, and background rejection. STED enables lateral resolution down to ~30–50 nm (sample and dye dependent), while confocal imaging provides versatile multicolor acquisition, spectral detection, and z‑stacking. FALCON delivers rapid, photon‑efficient FLIM for live cells and fixed samples, supporting FLIM‑FRET to quantify molecular interactions and biosensor readouts. Integrated environmental control, high‑NA objectives, and precise hardware synchronization enable time‑lapse, 3D, and multi‑modal experiments across a broad range of biological and materials samples. The platform supports deconvolution and advanced analysis workflows for super‑resolution, lifetime, and spectral data.
Application
- Super‑resolution imaging of subcellular structures using STED (membranes, cytoskeleton, synapses).
- Quantitative FLIM and FLIM‑FRET for protein interactions, signaling, and biosensors.
- Multicolor confocal imaging of cells, organoids, and thin tissues; spectral unmixing of overlapping fluorophores and autofluorescence.
- Live‑cell dynamics, time‑lapse, 3D stacks, and colocalization.
- Material and plant imaging leveraging sensitive detection and lifetime contrast.
- Ex vivo/biopsy sections for pathology and multiplexed labeling.
