Fluorescence Microscope

Binghamton University intends to purchase an all-in-one fluorescence microscope to be used for tissue pathological analysis with stitching features and for cell and tissue immune-analysis with Z-stack features. This will be used for pharmacological, biomedical, and pathophysiological research and does not require a darkroom for use. Operational Requirements & Functional Specifications: 1) The product case must include a specimen enclosure to provide an observation environment that, even without a darkroom, will not impair the background contrast required for fluorescence observation. To ensure that researchers can observe in a bright open space without darkroom-related restrictions. The microscope will be installed in a place best suited to the researchers’ work environment. 2) Excluding the computer and monitor, the installation space of the microscope unit plus lighting source must be within 500 mm (H) x 465 mm (W) x 500 mm (D) when the panel is closed. This requirement is associated with the capability of being installed freely in a place that is the best to maximize the experiment efficiency. 3) The equipment must have a built-in vibration dampening system with the ability to use up to 100x objectives in a typical lab environment, so that it is not necessary to purchase an air table or granite anti-vibration table. 4) The microscope must have a slide out holder stage frame to allow vessels to be loaded onto the stage frame outside of the microscope to ensure that slides, liquids, or other foreign objects aren’t accidentally dropped into the microscope causing damage or repairs. 5) The microscope must include, as standard components, an electronic shutter, XY and Z motorized stages, an electronic revolver (to hold 6 objectives from 2x-100x, must be compatible with both Plan Fluor and Plan Apochromat lenses), an electronic filter turret (to hold 6 filters), an electronic filter wheel (to hold 6 filters), 24 W RGB LED light source, electronic phase-contrast slit switching mechanism, electronic dimmer filters, and an electronic aperture control; it is necessary that all of these components can be operated with the mouse. An electronic control system that can be operated easily with the mouse is required to make the tasks efficient and shorten overall evaluation time by ensuring that even novices can easily perform operation. 6) The microscope must be able to recall all capture settings which include the shutter, aperture, light intensity, XYZ stage position, magnification, filter, imaging mode (brightfield/fluorescence/phase). In addition, there must be Zero manual/mechanical adjustments related to the microscope structure or light path (aperture, focus, stage, condenser, lighting). Everything must be controlled electronically to ensure absolute reproducibility of the imaging technique to obtain consistent results without inconsistencies due to manual mechanical adjustments. 7) The stroke of the motorized XY stage must be at least 114 mm x 80 mm and the minimum travel pitch must be 1 μm or smaller. Also, the stroke of the motorized Z axis stage must be at least 8 mm and the minimum travel pitch must be 0.1 μm or smaller. This will be to accurately determine signal localization, as it is necessary to perform positioning at pitches of 0.1 μm or smaller so that the focus can be adjusted with steps finer than 0.1 μm. In addition, considering different types of experiments planned to be conducted in the future, a travel range of 114 mm x 80 mm is required when observing various organs, including the brain and kidneys. 8) The microscope must be equipped with a 10 megapixel CMOS. The camera also needs to have the capability to image into the near infrared spectrum (800-900nm range). This requirement is associated with the research-related need to achieve high sensitivity, high color gradation, and quick capturing. To have a single camera achieve both color and monochrome mode is essential for user friendliness, repeatability and reproducibility. Systems with 2 camera systems have higher reliability issues as well as optical path misalignments. 9) The microscope must be equipped a “low photobleach mode” which physically blocks the light to the sample when it is just stationary. Light is only let through when we move the sample or change the capture settings. This requirement protects the sample from over-exposure and prolongs the life of delicate samples and fluorescence signal. 10) The number of pixels that can be recorded in a single image (not stitched) must be at least 7320 x 5490. This requirement is associated with the capability of observing even fine parts clearly and proceeding to more detailed analysis. 11) It must be possible to report the progress status and completion of image capture by email. This requirement is associated with the need to perform other tasks efficiently in parallel to capturing. 12) The microscope must be capable of capturing image files within OME tiff format. This requirement is associated with the ability to retain meta-data within 3rd party software. 13) The microscope must be equipped with a navigation function that enables the user the following: to make observations at a high magnification while checking the position over the entire region using a wide-area map image linked with information on the XY stage coordinates and to move the observation position by clicking the desired point on the wide-area map image. It must also be possible to create the wide-area map image using any of the mountable lenses. This requirement is associated with the need to shorten capture time by ensuring that it is possible to perform positioning while using a high-magnification lens without having to frequently switch between high-magnification and low-magnification lenses. 14) The analysis software must include some basic image processing software such as Haze reduction (no-neighbor deconvolution), image overlays, scale bar, cut/paste, zoom, lookup table, black balance. This requirement is associated with the ability to do simple image analysis that is pre-calibrated to ensure time savings. 15) The analysis software must include file locating capabilities to filter files by meta-data such as Name, Capture Date, Capture Mode, Objectives and Filter Channels. 16) The microscope must include a function that enables the user, when using any of the mountable lenses, to set a maximum range of 50,000 x 50,000 pixels automatically by clicking the edges of the desired capture range, capture images in this range, and stitch them seamlessly. This requirement is associated with the need to increase the visibility of the stitched image by enabling the user to view an image showing the entire observation range. This function enables the user to capture wide-area images easily and accurately; this means that the user can observe both the entirety and details accurately at the same time. This feature is needed when evaluating a transportation range or the like. 17) The microscope must include a function that allows Z-stacking throughout the stage range. To obtain a large amount of data and make it possible to read specific height data and utilize that data for 3D information analysis. SUNY intends to make an award under our discretionary authority, pursuant to NYS Education Law §355(5)(a), for the above noted commodity/product or service. A sealed bid will not be held. If you are interested in providing a proposal for the above commodity/product or service, you must contact the appropriately designated Campus contact in this advertisement within 15 business days of this Advertisement Notice. Business enterprises awarded an identical or substantially similar procurement contract within the past five years: None Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Business (SDVOB) SDVOB Goal: 0.00% Minority / Women Business Enterprise contracting goals (MWBE) MBE Goal: 0.00% WBE Goal: 0.00% Disadvantaged Business Enterprise contracting goals (DBE) DBE Goal: 0.00%