Thorlabs Veneto Inverted Microscope for Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM)

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), Laboratory of Advanced Microscopy and Biophotonics (LAMB), requires a Thorlabs Veneto Inverted Microscope to support fluorescence microscopy and high-resolution imaging of cells, tissues, and organelles. LAMB develops and applies advanced microscopy methods, including fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), polarized FLIM, stimulated emission, RICS, confocal imaging, and multiphoton imaging. The laboratory intends to use the Veneto Inverted microscope as a one-for-one replacement for its approximately 20-year-old microscope, which has unreliable internal motors and is no longer serviced by the original manufacturer.
The required system must be modular and modifiable and must integrate with LAMB's existing optoelectronics, including femtosecond infrared and picosecond visible laser sources, Becker & Hickl time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) ultrafast detectors/electronics, and other laboratory optical components. The requirement also calls for an accessible, software-integrated data acquisition card (DAQ) to record lock-in amplifier signals used in stimulated emission and stimulated Raman measurements. The Statement of Need identifies the Veneto platform as a turnkey system capable of confocal, widefield, and multiphoton imaging, with seven customizable optical pathways, multiple-detector capability, a two-photon configuration, open-source software, and compatibility with the laboratory's existing laser and FLIM detector infrastructure.