PRESS RELEASE / PRESSEINFORMATION
May 13, 2015
Leica Microsystems Launches Digital Light Sheet Module for the
Leica TCS SP8 Confocal Platform
The Leica TCS SP8 DLS Will be Presented at ELMI 2015 Meeting in Sitges, Spain
Mannheim, Germany. Leica Microsystems launches the Leica TCS SP8 DLS, a digital light sheet
microscope, which is fully integrated into the Leica TCS SP8 confocal microscope for the observation of
developmental processes in real time and 3D. The synergy of light sheet and confocal microscopy opens
novel fields of application. The instrument, which was previewed at the FOM 2015 in Göttingen,
Germany, will now be officially presented at the 15th annual meeting of the European Light Microscopy
Initiative (ELMI), May 19 to 22, 2015 in Sitges, Spain.
Light sheet microscopy is a gentle method of imaging light-sensitive samples or fast biological processes
in whole organisms, since the specimen is illuminated in a single plane. This reduces phototoxic effects
and thereby protects the sample. The novelty of Leica Microsystems’ approach lies in the integration of a
light sheet module into an inverted Leica TCS SP8 confocal system. The TwinFlect mirror, which deflects
the illuminating light sheet at a 90° angle, makes it possible to combine digital light sheet and confocal
imaging in one system without compromising confocal functionality. This is a clear distinction from other
solutions that require a dedicated optical setup on an independent system with perpendicular illuminating
and detecting objectives. “With this highly integrated system, researchers can stay close to familiar
sample preparation protocols and even combine confocal photomanipulation methods with gentle light
sheet detection, which open new fields of applications,” says Dr. Petra Haas, Product Manager at Leica
Microsystems.
First feedback on the Leica TCS SP8 DLS from the research community is positive: “I think it’s a fantastic
idea. It’s very clever, it’s a nice example of thinking out of the box. Classically, you have a perpendicular
setup and now you can just retrofit it on a confocal. I think it’s brilliant,” says Dr. Bram van den Broek from
the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam.
The light sheet module is an optional add-on to the Leica TCS SP8 modular imaging platform and
expands its imaging options. Every inverted Leica TCS SP8 can be upgraded to a light sheet microscope.
Additional functionality such as STED super-resolution, advanced lasers, and multiphoton or quantitative
imaging can be added whenever required.
Visitors of the ELMI meeting can also have demonstrations on a pulsed STED laser at 775 nm for the
Leica TCS SP8 STED 3X, which achieves sub 30 nm resolution, as well as the universal hybrid detector
Leica HyD SMD for quantitative FCS, FLIM, FLCS, and super-sensitive imaging.
Anja Schué / Claudia Müller · Tel. +49 6441 29-2201 / -2630 · corporate.communications@leica-microsystems.com
Leica Microsystems GmbH · Ernst-Leitz-Straße 17–37 · D-35578 Wetzlar · www.leica-microsystems.com
PRESS RELEASE / PRESSEINFORMATION
Caption: Leica Microsystems launches the Leica TCS
SP8 DLS, a digital light sheet module, which is fully
integrated
into
the
Leica
TCS
SP8
confocal
microscope for the observation of developmental
processes in real time and 3D.
More information on the product:
http://www.leica-microsystems.com/products/confocal-microscopes/details/product/leica-tcs-sp8-dls/
More information on light sheet microscopy on Science Lab:
http://www.leica-microsystems.com/science-lab/topics/light-sheet-microscopy/
Video on light sheet microscopy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ4GWJ7F7eU
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About Leica Microsystems
Leica Microsystems develops and manufactures microscopes and scientific instruments for the analysis
of microstructures and nanostructures. Ever since the company started as a family business in the
nineteenth century, its instruments have been widely recognized for their optical precision and innovative
technology. It is one of the market leaders in compound and stereo microscopy, digital microscopy,
confocal laser scanning microscopy with related imaging systems, electron microscopy sample
preparation, and surgical microscopes.
Leica Microsystems has seven major plants and product development sites around the world. The
company is represented in over 100 countries, has sales and service organizations in 20 countries, and
an international network of distribution partners. Its headquarters are located in Wetzlar, Germany.
Anja Schué / Claudia Müller · Tel. +49 6441 29-2201 / -2630 · corporate.communications@leica-microsystems.com
Leica Microsystems GmbH · Ernst-Leitz-Straße 17–37 · D-35578 Wetzlar · www.leica-microsystems.com