Confocal Wire Myograph System 360CW
The Confocal Wire Myograph System - 360CW is specially designed to provide very close optical access to the mounted artery or tissue segment, thereby allowing high-resolution images of fluorescent dyes or markers by laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM). This Wire Myograph system elegantly combines LSCM with artery myography to allow simultaneous measurements of isometric force and fluorescence imaging. A perfect example is studies that correlate isometric contractions in an isolated, mounted blood vessel and intracellular Ca2+ measurements within the vascular smooth muscle cells.
The chamber's unique design combines the precision and stability of conventional wire myographs with the added feature of precise Z-axis movement by a micrometer. This optimizes the flexibility of using this Wire Myograph System with different LSCMs and various high magnification objectives.
The bath design allows easy access to the high numerical aperture immersion objectives used on inverted microscopes and direct immersion objectives used on standard upright microscopes. Besides, special mounting supports were explicitly designed to allow precise vertical positioning of a mounted blood vessel or tissue ring directly above or on the chamber window. This permits the use of objectives with working distances smaller than 250μm on an inverted LSCM. This may be advantageous when simultaneous electrophysiological measurements are collected from the top of the mounted tissue.
The chambers of this Wire Myograph System are supplied with custom covers for inverted or upright microscope systems. The covers include connections for suction, gassing, or measurement electrodes (pH, NO, O2 tension).
Compounds can be added directly to the chamber, and vessel force/tension can be directly measured while on the LSCM. Data acquired from the myograph (such as force and temperature) can be recorded continuously, either by using the user-defined analog outputs or the serial interface.
Myograph Chamber
- Chronical chamber shape to minimize volume (>2.2ml)
- Acid resistent stainless steel to avoid lipids/compounds sticking
- Ring-Mounted Segments >30µm
- XYZ adjustment for accurate vessel alingment
- Build to accomendate low-working objectives - WD >100µm
Interface Unit
- Selectable force range (mN)
- Direct data streaming
- Intregreted heat control
- Intregreted calibration procedure
- Intuitive touch-screen
- Digital & analogue output
- Compact design / small footprint
- Compatible with LabChart software (ADInstruments)