Instrumentation supplier Leica Microsystems has launched Mica, a microhub, which the company describes as a wholly integrated imaging solution that leverages machine learning software, automation tools and fluorescence unmixing techniques to automate the imaging workflow.
The system automates sample-finding, parameter-setting and focus constancy, replacing manual setup with a single button push, the company claims. Users can visualise four labels simultaneously in widefield using the company’s FluoSync technology. They can then switch to confocal without moving the sample to explore unexpected paths with no constraints.
Automation and AI capabilities allow for radically simplified workflows, Leica says. For example, to perform a complex experiment such as a fluorescence multi-well plate assay, the current workflow can reportedly be simplified from 24 steps using a conventional microscope to eight.
"Research paradigms are constantly evolving, as we have seen with the recent evolution of single cell and transcriptomics. The next frontier is about essentially putting this dissociated information into spatial context, as location is critical to understanding biological mechanisms. The trend is driving more researchers to utilise complex imaging in their research. We have built Mica for these researchers, who need to focus more on their biology than the specialism of microscopy," said James O’Brien, VP Life Sciences at Leica Microsystems. "The Microhub era will supercharge the microscopy experience for everyone."
