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Intelligent Imaging Innovations proudly introduces our innovative fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) system. FLIM is rapidly becoming an accessible tool for mainstream molecular biology research involving live cell imaging. In measuring a different physical property of a fluorophore, FLIM has advantages in measuring protein proximity (FRET), polymerization, relative concentration of different molecules, separation of different labels with spectral overlap, ion concentration, and removal of autofluorescence. 3i's FLIM system is based on widefield frequency-domain detection, which uses a high frequency modulated laser light source and intensifier, and is fully integrated and automated, combinable with widefield fluorescence, TIRF, FRAP, spinning disk confocal, and more.

A lifetime image can be acquired in less than a second, making it several orders of magnitude faster than a point scanning photon counting system. The high speed of this technique is particularly useful for monitoring lifetime dynamics in living cells and tissue. FLIM analysis is closely integrated into 3i's SlideBook™ software. Through an intuitive polar plot (vector) graphical analysis, it is easy to visualize multiple fluorescent species, FRET efficiency, and mixture analysis.

Our FLIM system is available as either a module of our Marianas microscope workstations (see Marianas™ or Marianas SDC™), or as a standalone retrofit to many fluorescence microscopes, The FLIM system is easy to use and can be combined with all capture types (e,g., time lapse, 3D, multiple locations on an xy stage) and many different microscopy types, such as widefield, deconvolution, spinning disk confocal, and TIRF.