Chapter 169 Shocking performance of confocal microscopy
Jiangcheng, laboratory of a biotechnology company
Rows of research apes, wearing natural white coats, are busy on their experimental tables.
And Huang Liyuan is also one of them.
He has been working in this company for three years after he graduated from graduate school. The salary is not bad, and the boss and colleagues are also very good.
Ever since she entered the sinkhole of biology without hesitation, she rarely thought about changing careers because of her love for biology.
Recently, the company has issued a lot of experimental testing tasks, and she was assigned to perform Z-axis acquisition and spectral splitting of samples.
These two tasks are inseparable from laser scanning confocal microscopy (LCSM).
LCSM mainly uses 3D captured imaging technology, giving it a high three-dimensional image resolution.
Compared with fluorescence microscopy, LCSM is not easily affected by the optical diffraction limit.
But the confocal I used before broke down, and now my company has purchased two new ones, but they haven’t arrived yet.
"Liyuan, the confocal microscope has arrived!"
Huang Liyuan, who was doing an observation experiment, heard a reminder from a colleague.
"Oh, it's here? Then install it quickly."
She responded and then urged the staff to start installation and debugging.
After all, she has been delayed in this work for several days, and now it will delay her task progress.
After the staff debugged it, she couldn't wait to start working. The main thing now is to collect the Z-axis of the sample.
The so-called Z-axis acquisition means that for samples with a certain thickness, the laser confocal microscope can scan multiple layers, then take high-quality XYZ multi-layer photos, and even perform 3D reconstruction of the pictures.
Soon, the image was displayed on the display screen, and the resulting data and resolution surprised her slightly.
"Did I say that we bought these two confocal machines from Caisi? Why are the pattern results collected on the Z-axis so clear and the data so detailed and accurate?"
Generally, only those internationally imported big-name microscope manufacturers can have this kind of data presentation results, and they can actually perform spectral splitting through simple and subtle operations, which is fast and convenient.
"No, Caisi's kind is extremely expensive, and maintenance is extremely troublesome. This seems to be a domestic brand called Chongmingniao."
A colleague on the side replied.
"Domestic brand?" Huang Liyuan was stunned.
No, can domestic brands achieve such effects?
Even the card brand may not be able to do this, right?
"Yes, I heard that this brand was discovered by others. It is manufactured by a small company that was acquired. It has good performance and the price is one-third cheaper than the same Laika product on the market."
"Wait a minute, what is the origin of Chongmingniao Company? Can a small company manufacture such a microscopic instrument?"
Huang Liyuan couldn't believe it.
After all, for biomedical observation instruments like this, not only the electronic image technology must meet the standards, but the main core is high optical performance, so that experimental samples can be effectively observed, thereby helping researchers to judge and continue the next step of research work.<
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"I'm not sure about this. You can go to your Third Eye to check."
The colleague shook his head.
Huang Liyuan had no choice but to conduct a visual search by herself.
I found out that this company changed its name not long ago. It was originally a company engaged in optical glass and low-end optical products, and the company was acquired by Suiren Technology.
"Has Suiren Technology recently entered the field of optical microscopy instruments?"
She has heard about Suiren Technology, especially the powerful garbage disposal and purification technology.
In previous reports, there was some information about Suiren Technology’s microbial purification of sewage, but what exactly is this microorganism? People engaged in biological research are also very curious!
Could it be bacteria?
This is also possible, but as far as she knows, the decomposition time of many microorganisms that can decompose pollutants is relatively long, the efficiency is not very high, and they are easily affected by the external environment, thereby reducing the original decomposition efficiency.<
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But this mysterious bacteria from Suiren Technology does not have this flaw.
She also went online to read relevant papers, but Suiren Technology had no biological research except for a bioinformatics-induced mosquito repellent technology.
Then, Huang Liyuan began to use this new mirror to start her own experimental work. After repeated testing, the data and effects obtained were many times better than the previous one.
"Oh my God! This LCSM from Chongmingniao is really precious. We can get such experimental data for less than the price of the same product from Laika."
Her lips were slightly parted.
You must know that for biological/medical researchers, a high-performance scientific instrument often indirectly affects the accuracy and conclusions of research data.
"No, I have to ask the company to purchase a few more confocals of this brand."
Huang Liyuan put down her work and hurriedly went to give feedback to the leader.
The leader is also suspicious. After all, it is not a trivial matter to purchase certain scientific instruments in bulk. One or two units are enough, but if you want to buy in bulk, you need to apply for approval.
Seeing that the leader didn't believe it, Huang Liyuan took him to the laboratory to have a look.
The leader is also a biological person, and his eyes lit up after seeing the excellent performance of such a Chongming bird.
These confocal microscopes in the company have been used for some years. Are there some errors? Now it is time to replace them.
He immediately approved the application, and the company's human resources department also directly contacted Chongmingniao or Suiren Technology via phone/email to prepare to purchase the company's Confocal.
Not only does this happen, it also happens in some colleges and universities.
For example, Xiangchu Agricultural University is an ordinary university in its province. Although it is not a double first-class university, its foundation is still good.
And biotechnology is one of the trump majors.
This year, the school has also expanded its enrollment in related majors.
However, when there are more students, the experimental instrument resources of many students who were originally going to take experimental classes have become tight. Moreover, there are many professors or experts in the biological field on campus who also need relevant instruments for research.
Therefore, the dean of the School of Biological Sciences is preparing to apply to the president to purchase appropriate scientific instruments, among which the confocal microscope is indispensable.
This stuff is not only needed in biotechnology majors, but also in plant majors, agronomy and other majors.
Originally, the dean of the Academy of Biological Sciences was also worried about which confocal manufacturer to buy. Everything else was easy to handle, not just materials and test tubes, but the funds were limited and he could not purchase too expensive microscopy instruments, otherwise he would
We can't make ends meet, so next time the college applies for funding, it will be reduced.
But when I passed by a laboratory and looked through the window, my attention was attracted by a confocal microscope brought by several students.
This is obviously not school equipment, because the instruments brought by these students are very new.
So he went to ask.
Only then did I know that several students had pooled their money to buy this LCSM for group experiments. They thought the performance of the school laboratory was a bit poor, so they made do with it.
The dean was also curious, so he tested it himself and was quickly shocked by its performance.
After some understanding, I decided to write an application to purchase a confocal microscope for the Chongming Bird.