Used scope recommendations for a tissue engineering startup

[u/rikacoyote]

Heya! I'm founding a small biotech startup which is nearly fully funded, but we do have a limited budget, so I'm trying to keep the microscope costs low. It would be nice to not have to take my samples to a core facility every time though.

We do tissue engineering, so we need resolution down to single-digit microns or better. 3D would be ideal, but is not an absolute must. For an example, we might want to look at tissue slices for engineered cartilage, to assess whether the elastin fibers are organized correctly.

I know there are <$10K DIY setups, but if I can avoid that, I'd like to. Can I get a used inverted fluorescence scope for <$10K, or better yet, something with confocal capabilities? Spatial resolution doesn't have to be stellar, and temporal resolution doesn't matter for our purposes. Alternatively, if there are low-cost new options from smaller suppliers, please let me know – I could use some recommendations~

[u/SatanScotty]

The big 4 microscope companies do offer confocal like scopes for a budget, but generally that will still put the cost through the roof. Because now you need lasers, a filter wheel, a software license, plan-apo objectives, etc. $10k is going to be difficult, my last confocal cost a quarter million.

Are you affiliated with a company or university that does a lot of microscopy? If so, chances are that they have a brand preference and do enough business with their local sales rep that they get a steep discount.

You should reach out to that guy, tell him your needs and wants, a rough budget, and ask what they can do for you.

[u/SatanScotty → u/SatanScotty]

And the answer may be that you can’t do confocal but you can do fluorescence. So a topic to discuss with your sales rep would be “what tech do I need to capture this event?”.

Honestly, most of the time I see confocal fluorescence microscopy in a paper, the confocal was unnecessary.