Digital Microscope

Tender description

A digital microscope with a combination of a 4K camera, magnification ranging from 20x to 6000x, a motorised XYZ stage and capacity to capture 3D all-in-focus images. Lot 1: A digital microscope with a combination of a 4K camera, magnification ranging from 20x to 6000x, a motorised XYZ stage and capacity to capture 3D all-in-focus images is required for School of Biological Sciences. It is required for a project to uncover the evolutionary history of Fibonacci spirals. The results of the project will provide a textbook case study for the drivers of biological form over geological time, while allowing an understanding of why Fibonacci spirals are so common in plants today. This project will be pioneering live imaging techniques on non-model species and quantifying 3D parameters of shoot apices. The VHX-7000 from Keyence is the only supplier who can deliver this specification of particular microscope that will revolutionise live imaging of non-model species due to its ability to capture quantitative 3D data of plant tissue non-invasively. This will allow live imaging of shoots of ferns and lycophytes without the need for staining or the development of transgenic reporter lines. More specifically it will be used to image apices with reflected bright-field light. The high magnification, automated stage and 4K camera of the Keyence VHX-7000 will transform our ability for live imaging of non-model species such as lycophytes as it will allow us to quickly and non-invasively capture quantitative 3D data of shoot apices.