ONI products

20nm Resolution: Our combination of imaging modalities and advanced software allows single molecules to be observed and tracked with high sensitivity. Autofocus in Realtime: Rapid and precise stabilization of the microscope focus, with locking technology to minimize Z-drift. Correction: Post acquisition drift correction with nanometer precision Temperature control: Precise control and measurement of temperature, with heating elements to keep the entire microscope unit at a stable, uniform temperature. Ideal for live cell imaging, facilitating single-particle tracking. Powerful lasers: Single molecule localization microscopy in multiple colors and 2 channels. Up to 1W laser power at the source. 8-12 kW/cm² power density at the sample plane. Micro fluidics compatible: Powerful solutions to control sample conditions. DNA paint and RNA hybridization. Up to 16 channels. Automation of sample preparation.

Since its invention in 2006, STORM microscopy has become the most widely used super-resolution microscopy technique for single-molecule imaging. STORM stands for “Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy” and it relies on the stochastic activation of individual fluorophores with photoactivatable properties.

PALM is a super-resolution microscopy technique and PALM is short for “Photoactivated Localization Microscopy”. The technique was invented by Eric Betzig along with his colleague Harald Hess and this work was recognized internationally with the award of the 2014 Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Betzig shared the award with Stefan Hell and William Moerner for their contributions to breaking through the diffraction barrier in fluorescence microscopy.

Real-time nanoscale ruler operates on a 2-10 nm range. ONI is the only provider of commercial solutions for smFRET.

Single-particle tracking (SPT) is a powerful tool in microscopy that allows the motion of individual fluorescently-labeled particles (molecules, vesicles, virions or other molecular complexes) to be followed within a medium or in living cells and to obtain information on their dynamic behavior over time.

In epifluorescence microscopy, a parallel beam of light is passed directly upwards through the sample, maximizing the amount of illumination. This is also referred to as widefield microscopy. Like in any fluorescence microscope, a high-intensity light source is used. In epifluorescence microscopes, both the illuminated and emitted light travel through the same objective lens – hence the term “epi” from Greek, meaning “same”.

TIRF microscopy uses the phenomenon of total internal reflection in order to reduce background noise. Only a thin layer of the sample, up to 200 nm from the coverslip is excited, so virtually all of the emitting fluorophores are in focus and the background signal is significantly reduced. This idea was first considered in the 1950’s but it wasn’t until the 1980’s, due to the work of Daniel Axelrod at the University of Michigan, that the technique became popular.

In HILO microscopy, the laser is directed at a sharp angle through the sample. This allows an imaging depth of up to 10µm, at a signal to background noise ratio (SNR) slightly lower than that of TIRF. HILO stands for highly inclined and laminated optical sheet but is affectionately referred to as “Dirty TIRF” due to the slightly lower SNR in comparison to TIRF imaging.