Breaking Speed Barriers: Unveiling Biological Insights with Label-Free Chemical Imaging

The application space of label-free chemical imaging using coherent Raman scattering (CRS) microscopy in the life sciences and pharma/medical research is expanding rapidly. Ongoing advances in laser technology allow for dramatic increases in acquisition speeds, particularly for multiplex and hyperspectral CRS datasets. At the same time, these advances facilitate an ever more rapid generation of biologically relevant insights from label-free chemical imaging data.

 

Here, we present the STELLARIS CRS, Leica’s new turnkey CRS instrument powered by the fast-tuning picoEmerald FT laser. This new instrument enables order-of-magnitude faster chemical imaging while maintaining its well-appreciated multimodal imaging capabilities. It seamlessly combines Stimulated Raman Scattering (SRS), Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering (CARS), Second Harmonic Generation (SHG), two-photon fluorescence, and visible confocal fluorescence.

 

With the new instrument, users can:

 

We will demonstrate these advances through a range of new biological applications, focusing on high-speed, multiplex, label-free chemical imaging of dynamic biological processes, and label-free, multimodal metabolic profiling at the single-cell level.

 

These new capabilities emphasize the growing ease-of-use of SRS microscopy and its potential to contribute to an even deeper understanding of cell and tissue biology. The STELLARIS CRS serves as a powerful new tool for preclinical and translational medical research.

 

Learning Objectives