Confocal Microscope Remote Access
Welcome to Sonoma State University's Confocal Microscope Remote Access Site. This site is dedicated to extending the technology of confocal microscopy to the students of Sonoma State University and to the people of the surrounding community.
Confocal Microscopy
Confocal microscopy allows one to focus on a particular plane of a specimen without interference from fluorescence in other planes. Both fluorescent and confocal microscopy use fluorescently tagged probes to look at particular features of both fixed and living cells and tissues. In comparison, fluorescent images appear more fuzzy than confocal images because of interference from fluorescence in out-of-focus planes of the specimen. Computers can store a series of very crisp 2-D confocal images, taken at different planes in a specimen, and stack them to make a 3-D image using special software. For a more complete description of confocal microscopy, go to our Confocal Microscopy Links.
Student Projects and Images from Sonoma State
Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. By Charles Murphy.
Remote Access
In order to use the confocal microscope at CSU Stanislaus by remote, you must download the necessary software from the Stanislaus "Remote Access Page." This is a free download. The software will allow you to run the microscope at CSU Stanislaus from any internet capable computer in the world! After your trial run, hourly fees will be charged for use of the microscope. Once you have learned how to use the scope, all you need to do is send your own slide to Stanislaus, schedule a time to use the scope, and an operator will put your slide on the scope. From this point, the operation of the microscope, including filter selection, laser intensity, PMT values, pinhole size, focus, zoom, slide position, number of sections and accumulations for serial scanning, and use of quantitative analysis programs, can all be accomplished from your computer! There is a much shorter delay time if you are running a P.C., rather than a Mac. For fee and schedule information, contact Dr. Janey Youngblom at CSU Stanislaus.
Faculty Directors
Dr. Murali Pillai
Sonoma State University
murali.pillai@sonoma.edu
Dr. Janey Youngblom
CSU Stanislaus
jyoungb@toto.csustan.edu
Links of interest
- CSU Program for Education and Research in Biotechnology (CSUPERB) Core Facility @ CSU Stanislaus - This page is the main site for confocal microscopy within the CSU system. It includes the specific goals of the CSUPERB project, a tutorial, laboratory exercises, and many confocal images, including some of Dr. Janey Youngblom's amazing chromosome pictures.
- SSU Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Research Page
- Leica Microsystems, Heidelberg, Germany - Manufacturer of the Stanislaus microscope.
Links to confocal sites (many with images):
- What is Confocal Microscopy?
- Confocal Microscopy at University of Pennsylvania - This site includes a technical explanation of the physical aspects of confocal microscopy.
- Graphic showing how Confocal Microscopy works, from UCSB
- Confocal Microscopy Images from UCLA
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (Harvard) Confocal Microscopy Core Facility
- The Keck Neural Imaging Laboratory, University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Confocal Microscopy Dept. of Environmental and Plant Biology, Ohio University, Athens
- Confocal Microscopy in the APU, (Cardiovascular.org)
- Confocal Images from Ohio State
- SCANNING CONFOCAL MICROSCOPY LINKS
- 3-D Laser Scanning Confocal Microscopy, U. of British Columbia
- Confocal Microscopy at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University
- Rita J. & Stanley H. Kaplan Comprehensive Cancer Center, NYU School of Medicine
- The Confocal Microscopy and Cell Culture Facility for Biomaterials, Rutgers University
- "Microscopes and Microscopy" page at The University of Oklahoma
- Confocal Microscopy Images from somewhere in the UK
- Confocal Microscopy and Flow Cytometry Facility, University of California, Irvine
- CSUPERB Confocal Microscopy Core Facility @ CSU Stanislaus
- Sonoma State University Confocal Microscopy Page
Research Using Confocal Microscopy:
- Signal transduction, stomatal physiology, confocal microscopy, imaging calcium, pH and glutathione, ER-calcium binding proteins, DNA-binding chromobox proteins, pollen tubes, ER morphology.
- Confocal microscopy of autofluorescence of Drosophila photopigments, (Saint Louis University)
- A suspension-cultured tobacco BY-2 cell in late stages of mitosis/cell division
- Featured Research from the University of Wisconsin, Madison
- Confocal Microscopic Analysis of Corneal Cells by, David Maurice, Columbia University Ophthalmology D. M. invented a Mouse Holder for confocal microscope observation.
- Confocal Microscopy of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) as a more precise diagnostic tool than fluorescence microscopy. By Charles Murphy, Sonoma State University.