Resolution Beyond the Diffraction Limit

JENA/Germany, CHICAGO/Illinois/USA — Carl Zeiss is launching new systems for optical sectioning during the annual Society for Neuroscience’s Neuroscience 2009 meeting to be held in Chicago from October 17th to October 21st.

The ELYRA product family features several new superresolution microscopy methods and significantly expands the application of light microscopy by clearly resolving details which previously could not be imaged by commercially available systems. ELYRA’s high resolution and flexibility will allow scientists to expand their experimental design to enable study of cellular components smaller than the diffraction limit.

The new LSM 780 expands the LSM 7 laser scanning microscopy family. This new system has about double the sensitivity of existing laser scanning microscopes and allows the study of samples with very weak or quickly bleaching fluorescence signals. The improved sensitivity can also be used to collect images at higher speeds.

The third new product, VivaTome, is a new optical sectioning system created for developmental and cell biologists to examine the dynamics of living specimens. The VivaTome is easy to use and provides clear and quantifiable images of cell structures, tissue sections or living organisms.

With the launch of the new systems, ELYRA, LSM 780 and VivaTome, Carl Zeiss offers important new tools to allow scientists to expand their research horizons.

The Society for Neuroscience’s annual meeting is the largest scientific meeting of its kind and brings together leading scientists from around the world. Microscopy and Imaging are key enabling technologies for neuroscientists and help researchers to better understand causes of such diseases as Alzheimer‘s or epilepsy, so that one day therapies and cures can be developed.

Carl Zeiss AG

Carl Zeiss AG is a leading group of companies operating worldwide in the optical and opto-electronic industries. The five independently operating business groups are active in the future-oriented markets of Medical and Research Solutions, Industrial Solutions and Lifestyle Products. Founded in 1846 in Jena, the company is headquartered in Oberkochen, Germany. Carl Zeiss AG is fully owned by the Carl Zeiss Stiftung (Carl Zeiss Foundation). During fiscal year 2007/08 (ended Sept. 30), the company generated revenues of EUR 2,731 million. Carl Zeiss has around 13,000 employees in more than 30 countries, including over 8,000 in Germany.

Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH

Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH is a 100% subsidiary of Carl Zeiss AG. The leading manufacturer of microscope systems offers total solutions for biomedical research, the healthcare sector and high-tech industries. The product line spans a broad spectrum from light microscopes and systems for laser scanning microscopy and spectrometry to hardware and software for image processing and documentation.

Microscopes from Carl Zeiss allow scientists to gain important knowledge about diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s and tuberculosis. This results in new diagnostic techniques and better drugs for therapy. ZEISS microscopes support the development of new materials and enable more efficient quality inspection in industry.

Carl Zeiss MicroImaging GmbH is headquartered in Jena. Other manufacturing and development sites are located in Göttingen and Munich. During fiscal year 2007/08, the Microscopy Group at Carl Zeiss generated revenues of approximately EUR 340 million with a global workforce of about 1,700. Further information is available at www.zeiss.de/micro.