FRAP system

[Deepak Saini]

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Does anyone have any comparative information on FRAP - photo activation system
compatible with epifluorescence microscopes. I have been offerred the following options

1. Mosaic module from Andor, previously photonic instruments
2. FRAP-PA from Andor
3. Vector from 3i.

Any input about these systems would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

D.

[Michael Mohammadi]

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[commercial response]

Hi Deepak,

We thank you for your interest in both the Andor Mosaic and the Andor FRAPPA.  I'd be happy to differentiate these products for you and will leave the competitive comparisons to the 3i product out of my response.

The Andor Mosaic system is built around a DMD- a small chip (similar to a camera CCD) that has ~a million tiny mirrors (rather than pixels) that allow the user to have complete control over the spatial/temporal aspects of their illumination (ie FRAP laser, LED's for optogenetics, etc).  The advantage here is that there is zero delta time in illuminating multiple ROI's of any shape/size and since the mirrors function on 10's of uS time scale, pattern switching is extremely fast.  The power density of Mosaic can be an issue for some FRAP applications, but we have dozens of publications with Mosaic that I can provide to you spanning a variety of applications.  If speed/flexibility is your priority the Mosaic may be the best suited for your application.

The Andor MicroPoint and Andor FRAPPA both utilize a galvonometer based approach to guide a single spot of light around the field of view.  The MicroPoint is unique in that it uses an extremely high power nitrogen pumped laser (that uses individual dye cells which can be swapped in/out), is diffraction limited in spot size, and comes in both manual and galvo based versions (works great for FRAP, ablation, cutting nerves, industrial applications, etc).   In comparison, the FRAPPA can mount to the epi port or to a c-mount (for instance in line with a spinning disc) and it moves light around the sample much faster than MicroPoint and will integrate lasers that are also used for TIRF, or with the MPU on the Andor spinning disc system (Revolution XD).  FRAPPA may be the way to go if speed/larger/multiple ROI's are necessary (and when the power density of Mosaic is not sufficient for your application) and is the easy choice over MicroPoint if you're working with photoconvertible probes.

Each product listed is extremely flexible as to what make/model of microscope it will work with as well as what software support exists.

I would be happy to take this discussion off the listserv to go into more detail about any of the systems.  Each product is very unique and the right option for you will depend on your sample prep, targeted fluorophores and the detail of your existing microscope and application needs.  Please feel free to contact me at your convenience.  [hidden email]

Cheers,

Michael

Andor Technology
Michael Mohammadi
Business Development Manager, AI/DSD, Americas
Cell Phone: [phone]
Support: [hidden email]

________________________________________
From: Confocal Microscopy List [[hidden email]] on behalf of Deepak Saini [[hidden email]]
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 11:19
To: [hidden email]
Subject: FRAP system

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Does anyone have any comparative information on FRAP - photo activation system
compatible with epifluorescence microscopes. I have been offerred the following options

1. Mosaic module from Andor, previously photonic instruments
2. FRAP-PA from Andor
3. Vector from 3i.

Any input about these systems would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

D.


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