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ZEISS LSM 990

Top-Class Multimodal Imaging Combined in One Confocal System

ZEISS LSM 990 combines an unprecedented range of imaging options to help you explore new research dimensions. Delve into your biological research with 90 nm super-resolution, high-speed volumetric imaging, or the separation of 10 fluorescent labels simultaneously. Gain understanding of molecular dynamics, protein interactions, and physiological processes with a confocal microscope that pushes the boundaries of live imaging and multi-modal experimental design.

  • A wealth of possibilities for your research
  • Fluorescence imaging as colorful as life itself
  • Unique insights into molecular dynamics and protein interactions

Freedom to Explore

Your ZEISS LSM 990 can be configured in many different ways depending on your imaging requirements, from a pure confocal system to an imaging platform that integrates all available modalities. If you want to utilize specific strengths for your most demanding applications, we recommend choosing one of the following configurations – or combine them to your needs.

  • LSM Airyscan

    Sensitive High-Speed Super-Resolution Imaging and Molecular Characterization
    Synaptonemal complex with clearly resolved tripartite structure. Courtesy of Suixing Fan, University of Science and Technology of China

    LSM 990 Airyscan provides a unique collection of sensitive high-speed super-resolution imaging as well as characterization of molecular behavior from the cellular to organismal level.

    Learn more about LSM Airyscan
    • Enhanced structural information effortlessly added to your experiment
    • Simultaneous improvement of spatial and temporal resolution
    • Easy access to underlying molecular dynamics in living samples

  • LSM Lightfield 4D

    Instant Volumetric High-Speed Imaging of Living Organisms
    Instant volumetric imaging of a beating embryonic zebrafish heart. Courtesy of Stone Elworthy and Emily Noël, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, UK

    LSM 990 Lightfield 4D expands your LSM with the ability to capture complete volumes instantly with a single snap, to track dynamic processes at high speed and over long periods of time.

    Learn more about LSM Lightfield 4D
    • High-speed physiological and neuronal processes captured in 3D
    • Gentle observation of entire organisms over extended periods of time
    • Accelerated collection of information on large samples with multiple labels

  • LSM Spectral Multiplex

    Multi-Fluorescence Imaging Along the Entire Wavelength Range
    Advanced spectral multiplexing of cell walls of budding yeast cells. Sample courtesy of Michal Skruzny, ZEISS Microscopy GmbH

    LSM 990 Spectral Multiplex excels in the spectral separation of fluorescent labels. Optimize your advanced spectral multiplexing experiments with numerous protein markers and clear separation of fluorescence signals.

    Learn more about LSM Spectral Multiplex
    • Spectral information from 380 to 900 nm taken in a single scan
    • Fluorescent signals reliably separated
    • Increased productivity through streamlined multi-faceted experiments
image of LSM 990 product brochure

ZEISS LSM 990

Top-Class Multimodal Imaging Combined in One Confocal System

Beyond Confocal

A Wealth of Possibilities for Your Research

Confocal microscopes have become synonymous with advanced optical sectioning and maximum imaging flexibility – no other microscope can accommodate such a variety of samples and experiments. ZEISS LSM 990 takes this versatility to the next level, combining high-speed super-resolution, unparalleled instant volume acquisition, superior depth penetration, and on-the-fly spectral separation of over 10 labels in a single image scan. Additionally, integrating photomanipulation or measurements of molecular dynamics enable discoveries that extend beyond mere fluorescence intensity imaging. All system components, in particular Airyscan 2, Lightfield 4D and up to 36 spectral detectors, have been developed to enable best-in-class live imaging. Unleash your creativity in experimental design and advance your scientific exploration!

Secretory cells of the small intestine produce holes in the apical f-actin brush border. Dapi (white): DNA, phalloidin (green): f-actin, UEA-1 (red): Secretory cells (Paneth, goblet), COX-1 (violet): Tuft cell.

The essence of confocal imaging

High-resolution optical sectioning of large samples

Three-day-old primary mouse organoid. Secretory cells of the small intestine produce holes in the apical f-actin brush border. Dapi (white): DNA, phalloidin (green): f-actin, UEA-1 (red): Secretory cells (Paneth, goblet), COX-1 (violet): Tuft cell.

Courtesy of Fabian Gärtner, University of Stuttgart, Germany

DAPI for DNA (showing nuclei and sperm), F-Actin labelled with phalloidin. Maximum intensity projection of a 54-slice stack.

Airyscan

Gentle super-resolution imaging of the smallest structures

Instead of light passing through a pinhole to reach a single detector, Airyscan consists of 32 detector elements that act as very small pinholes, taking a pinhole-plane image at every scanned position. By combining 32 such small pinhole-like detectors into a large area detector, Airyscan allows more light to be collected and higher frequency information of a structure to be captured.

Sperm flagella in Drosophila testes. DAPI for DNA (showing nuclei and sperm), F-Actin labelled with phalloidin. Maximum intensity projection of a 54-slice stack.

Sample courtesy of Zhaoxuan Zhang, Ocean University of China, Qingdao

Pyramidal neurons (YFP-H) and microglia (CxCR3-GFP) imaged in whole mouse brain.

Multiphoton microscopy

Exploring at greater depth

Multiphoton microscopy is perfect for recovering information from deep within tissue, such as brain, whole organisms, organoids or spheroids – in living samples or cleared tissues. The longer excitation wavelengths (690 – 1300 nm) are less absorbed and less scattered by tissues and no pinhole is needed to achieve optical sectioning.

Pyramidal neurons (YFP-H) and microglia (CxCR3-GFP) imaged in whole mouse brain.

Courtesy of Severin Filser, DZNE Bonn, Germany

Drosophila egg chambers stained for F-actin (Phalloidin, magenta) and DE-Cadherin (cyan). Courtesy of T. Jacobs, AG Luschnig, WWU Münster; with T. Zobel, Münster Imaging Network, Germany
Drosophila egg chambers stained for F-actin (Phalloidin, magenta) and DE-Cadherin (cyan). Courtesy of T. Jacobs, AG Luschnig, WWU Münster; with T. Zobel, Münster Imaging Network, Germany

LSM Plus

Improving the confocal experience

LSM Plus improves any confocal experiment with ease, independent of detection mode or emission range. Its linear Wiener filter deconvolution needs next to no manual interaction while still ensuring a reliable quantitative result. The system’s underlying optical property information such as objective lens, refractive index, and emission range is used to automatically adapt processing parameters for best results.

Drosophila egg chambers stained for F-actin (Phalloidin, magenta) and DE-Cadherin (cyan).

Courtesy of T. Jacobs, AG Luschnig, WWU Münster; with T. Zobel, Münster Imaging Network, Germany

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Lightfield 4D

High-speed volume acquisition of highly mobile cells in developing animals

To truly capture the essence of biological processes, imaging must be done in 4D, as both volume and time are essential for investigating living systems. Lightfield 4D offers a unique solution by imaging an entire volume at an exact point in time, without any time delay.

Beating embryonic zebrafish heart at 3 days post fertilization. Acquisition of 3 full heartbeats in 1.2 seconds at 80 volumes per second.

Courtesy of Stone Elworthy and Emily Noël, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, UK

Beyond Spectral Limitations

Fluorescence Imaging as Colorful as Life Itself

The identification and reliable separation of fluorescent labels are fundamental to every multi-color experiment, even more as the choice of dyes has expanded well into the near-infrared (NIR) range, and biomarker collections for spectral multiplexing enable even more structures to be simultaneously identified. With up to 36 channels, ensuring optimal quantum efficiency for each wavelength, a total emission range from 380 nm to 900 nm can be acquired with a single image scan. Select the desired detection range for each label to enhance your results or utilize all channels within the required emission range to gather comprehensive spectral information of every fluorophore in every single scan. For highest productivity during multi-dimensional experimental acquisition, spectral unmixing occurs on-the-fly while LSM Plus enhances signal-to-noise ratio and resolution within the same processing pipeline.

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Advanced spectral multiplexing of cell walls of budding yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae): 13 labels plus autofluorescence acquired in one track using 5 lasers and 36 detectors, unmixed image of the 13 labels without autofluorescence.

Sample courtesy of Michal Skruzny, ZEISS Microscopy GmbH

5-color brain slice sample acquired through a Lambda scan and processed with LSM Plus. Channels after spectral unmixing: DAPI, Map2-A488, Parvalbumin-A568, Iba-1-A647, VGAT-A750, Autofluorescence

5-color brain slice sample acquired through a Lambda scan and processed with LSM Plus. Channels after spectral unmixing: DAPI, Map2-A488, Parvalbumin-A568, Iba-1-A647, VGAT-A750, Autofluorescence.

Sample courtesy of Luisa Cortes, Microscopy Imaging Center of Coimbra, CNC, University of Coimbra, Portugal

Cos-7 cells, DAPI (magenta), Anti-tubulin Alexa 568 (blue), Actin Phalloidin-OG488 (yellow) and Tom20-Alexa 750 (red).

Cos-7 cells, DAPI (magenta), Anti-tubulin Alexa 568 (blue), Actin Phalloidin-OG488 (yellow) and Tom20-Alexa 750 (red). Imaged in Lambda mode across the visible and near infrared (NIR) spectrum. Individual signals separated by Linear Unmixing. Maximum intensity projection of a z-stack.

Sample courtesy of Urs Ziegler and Jana Doehner, University of Zurich, ZMB, Switzerland

Beyond Imaging

Unique Insights Into Molecular Dynamics and Protein Interactions

Go beyond fluorescence imaging and add new dimensions to your experiments. Employ Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) and Spectral RICS to gain insights into protein concentrations, movement, and interactions for multiple labels simultaneously. With spatial information from the Airyscan detector, you get unique access to the molecular behavior of proteins, providing insights into blood flow or dynamics within microfluidic systems, such as organ-on-a-chip setups. Additional fluorophore characteristics captured with Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) enable the investigation of physiological processes and extend the capabilities of your LSM to obtain information on protein-protein interactions and environmental parameters such as pH, oxygen, or iron concentration.

Measurement of speed and direction of blood flow in vessels of zebrafish larvae

Dynamics Profiler

Easy access to underlying molecular dynamics in living samples

Uncover molecular concentration, asymmetric diffusion, and flow dynamics of fluorescent proteins in your living samples in a single, easy measurement. Develop a more in-depth profile of the molecules in your current experiments, from cell cultures to organoids to whole organisms.

Measurement of speed and direction of blood flow in vessels of zebrafish larvae.

Courtesy of V. Hopfenmüller, Leibniz Institute on Aging – Fritz Lipmann Institute (FLI), Germany

Effects of SUMOylation in protein diffusion

Spectral RICS

Mapping molecular interactions in the cellular environment

ZEISS Spectral RICS combines LSM imaging with information about the behavior of proteins in their cellular environment.

Effects of SUMOylation in protein diffusion: RICS can be used to measure changes in diffusion resulting from protein interaction. With standard auto-correlation RICS analysis, we can see that the diffusion coefficient drops in correspondence with the size of SUMO chain. This type of studies can also measure the changes in diffusion of tagged proteins of interest in the presence of drug treatments, mutations, or other influences.

Samples kindly provided by P. Hemmerich and T. Ulbricht, Core Facility Imaging, Leibniz Institute on Aging, Jena, Germany

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Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM)

Functional imaging using differences in fluorescence decay

FLIM takes into account how fluorescence lifetime can be influenced by factors such as ion or oxygen concentration, pH, and temperature. FLIM is beneficial for analyzing proximity of and interaction between molecules.

U2OS cells stained with Flipper-TR. Fluorescence lifetime differences smaller than 100 ps can be measured.

Sample courtesy of Dr. Sarah Woolner, University of Manchester, UK.

Technology Insights

Advanced Light Preservation, Sensitivity, and Spectral Capabilities
product image of LSM 990 with Airyscan
  • Screenshot of a conversation between Microscopy Copilot AI assistant and the user

    The Microscopy Copilot, your personal AI assistant, helps you to interactively discover new possibilities for your imaging experiments. Ask questions when they are relevant to your current work. Reduce training time by getting new information straight away. Constantly evolve your research and exploit the potential of your specific LSM system configuration.

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    ZEISS LSM 990 beam path

    The LSM 990’s advanced beam path design, high-bandwidth electronics, and premium optics ensure high levels of light preservation, visualization of a high dynamic range, and a broad wave-length bandwidth. These properties enable quality image acquisition of a large variety of samples and structures, their molecular characteristics, and highly multiplexed spectral information.

  • Typical spectral quantum efficiency (QE) of ZEISS LSM 990 detectors
    Typical spectral quantum efficiency (QE) of ZEISS LSM 990 detectors

    Typical spectral quantum efficiency (QE) of ZEISS LSM 990 detectors

    Typical spectral quantum efficiency (QE) of ZEISS LSM 990 detectors

    LSM 990 can be equipped with a 32-channel GaAsP detector, complemented by two side detectors and two optional NIR GaAs and GaAsP detectors. This unique configuration provides the highest number of detectors available in LSM systems. For multi-label experiments, each fluorescent label’s emission range is captured using the most suitable detector technology.

  • The combination of laser point illumination, linear scanning, and detectors that can capture the signal in photon counting mode make your LSM 990 more than an imaging device:

    • Spectral Raster Image Correlation Spectroscopy (Spectral RICS) can generate a display map of molecular concentrations and diffusion coefficients of a complete image frame of a cell, or other structures. With Spectral RICS, fluorescent signals can be spectrally separated before analyzing protein interactions.
    • Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) allows a non-invasive insight into molecular concentrations and diffusion processes, leading to a deeper understanding of cell functions. To measure on a single molecule basis, you can use single- or multiphoton laser lines and use the full emission range up to 900 nm.
    • Fluorescent Cross Correlation Spectroscopy (FCCS) allows you to observe molecular interactions between two or more differentially labelled molecules. By utilizing the numerous detectors of the LSM 990 system, up to 9 channels are available for FCCS experiments.
    • Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging Microscopy (FLIM) uses differences in fluorescence decay to separate components. It is used for functional imaging and takes into account how fluorescence lifetime can be influenced by multiple factors, such as ion or oxygen concentration, pH, and temperature. FLIM is beneficial for FRET measurements, analyzing proximity of and interaction between molecules.
    • Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) uses sensitized emission or acceptor photobleaching approaches to investigate protein interaction and distance.
    • Fluorescence Recovery after Photobleaching (FRAP) utilizes any of the laser lines to perform flexible photobleaching experiments. The same principle adheres to photomanipulation experiments in general, for example to investigate intracellular movement, or follow whole cell movement within organisms by photoconversion of fluorescent protein labels.

Downloads

  • Preview image of Freedom to explore

    Freedom to explore

    ZEISS LSM 990
    15 MB
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  • Preview image of Experimental possibilities beyond confocal standards

    Experimental possibilities beyond confocal standards

    ZEISS LSM Airyscan
    3 MB
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  • Preview image of Investigating more proteins in parallel

    Investigating more proteins in parallel

    ZEISS LSM 990 Spectral Multiplex
    4 MB
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  • Preview image of Keeping pace with the pulse of life

    Keeping pace with the pulse of life

    ZEISS LSM Lightfield 4D
    3 MB
    Download

Visit the ZEISS Download Center for available translations and further manuals.

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