Max Planck Florida Institute Becomes ZEISS 'Labs@Location' Partner

The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) and the Germany-based microscopy company ZEISS announced a “labs@location” partnership agreement on Jan. 17. As a “labs@location” partner institution, MPFI will have access to state-of-the-art ZEISS technology before it is commercially available. MPFI is only the third institution in the U.S. to earn the labs@location designation.

The first piece of equipment available to MPFI scientists under the agreement is Focal Charge Compensation module (FCC), which is integrated onto a Serial Block Face Scanning Electron Microscope system. The FCC introduces a local stream of nitrogen gas onto the sample inside the microscope, which absorbs unwanted electrical charges that interfere with imaging. “This new technology results in much higher quality images and allows us to collect data from even more challenging samples,” said professor Naomi Kamasawa. “Anything that allows us to better visualize the structure of neurons and correlate it to their function will allow us to achieve a more complete understanding of neural networks, and ultimately, of the brain itself.”

MPFI received the FCC equipment in August 2018, and was the first institution in the U.S. to use the technology after ZEISS made a number of improvements to the current commercially available model.

“Science is transitioning to utilizing 3D data sets and correlative microscopy, and to this end we are pleased to partner with Max Planck Florida,” said James A. Sharp, president of Carl Zeiss Microscopy LLC. “These types of relationships are vital for us to better understand the issues and advantages of our hardware and software.”

The Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience (MPFI) has announced a new “labs@location” partnership agreement between the MPFI Electron Microscopy (EM) Core Facility and Germany-based microscopy company ZEISS. As a “labs@location” partner institution, MPFI will have access to state-of-the-art ZEISS technology before it is commercially available, providing researchers with innovative imaging tools that will empower their search for new insights into how the brain works. Courtesy of MPFI.