Confocal.nl develops Re-scanning Confocal Microscopy (RCM) technology that enables super-resolution imaging of live cells with minimal laser power, significantly reducing phototoxicity and photobleaching. This approach allows researchers to capture high-resolution images over extended periods, enhancing the study of biological samples without compromising their integrity.
Funding
$5.4M raised to dateRaised to date based on public sources. This may differ from the amount the company actually raised and is based only on what is publicly available on the internet.
Founders
Product
Problem
Traditional confocal microscopy exposes live cells to high laser power, leading to phototoxicity and photobleaching, which limits the duration and quality of live cell imaging experiments. Achieving super-resolution imaging often exacerbates these issues, making it difficult to study dynamic biological processes over extended periods.
Solution
Confocal.nl offers a suite of Re-scanning Confocal Microscopy (RCM) systems designed to minimize phototoxicity while enabling super-resolution imaging of live cells. Their camera-based confocal technology uses multiple laser pointers and an optical re-scanning unit to project images directly onto a CCD or sCMOS camera. This approach increases the signal-to-noise ratio, improves lateral resolution, and enhances sensitivity, all while significantly reducing the required laser power. The result is high-resolution imaging with minimal disruption to live samples, allowing researchers to capture long-term time-lapse experiments and study biological processes in greater detail.
Target Audience
The primary audience includes researchers in cell biology, developmental biology, and related fields who require high-resolution, low-phototoxicity imaging solutions for live cell studies.
Features
- Re-scanning Confocal Microscopy (RCM) technology based on standard confocal microscopy
- Optical re-scanning unit projects the image directly onto a CCD- or sCMOS camera
- Up to 4x higher signal-to-noise ratio compared to PMT-based confocal microscopes
- Low laser power minimizes phototoxicity and photobleaching
- Achieves up to 120nm resolution after deconvolution (170nm raw)
- Compatible with various applications including cell biology, developmental biology, neurobiology, and plant biology
- Models available for fast line-scanning confocal microscopy and high-contrast imaging of thick specimens