confocal microscopy Insights

What is confocal microscopy?

Confocal microscopy is an optical imaging technique used to increase image contrast and/or to reconstruct three-dimensional images by using a spatial pinhole to eliminate out-of-focus light or flare in specimens that are thicker than the focal plane. It is commonly used in biological and material sciences to obtain high-resolution optical sections of samples, enabling detailed visualization of cellular structures, tissue architecture, and material properties.

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What other technologies are related to confocal microscopy?

confocal microscopy Competitor Technologies

fluorescence microscopy

Fluorescence microscopy is a broader category, and confocal microscopy is a specific type of fluorescence microscopy that offers improved resolution and optical sectioning capabilities. They both utilize fluorescence but confocal offers more advanced imaging.

mentioned alongside confocal microscopy in 6% (156) of relevant job posts

super-resolution microscopy

Super-resolution microscopy techniques offer even higher resolution than confocal microscopy, thus it could be considered as a competitor.

mentioned alongside confocal microscopy in 14% (62) of relevant job posts

electron microscopy

Electron microscopy provides much higher resolution imaging than confocal microscopy, although it typically requires fixed samples and does not readily allow for fluorescence imaging. Thus it is a competing technology.

mentioned alongside confocal microscopy in 6% (127) of relevant job posts

confocal microscopy Complementary Technologies

immunohistochemistry

Immunohistochemistry (IHC) uses antibodies to visualize specific antigens in tissue sections. Confocal microscopy can enhance IHC imaging by reducing out-of-focus light, leading to clearer, high-resolution images of the stained tissues.

mentioned alongside confocal microscopy in 8% (670) of relevant job posts

immunofluorescence

Immunofluorescence uses fluorescently labeled antibodies to visualize specific antigens in cells or tissues. Confocal microscopy is frequently used to acquire high-resolution images of immunofluorescently stained samples.

mentioned alongside confocal microscopy in 9% (334) of relevant job posts

histology

Histology involves the microscopic study of tissues. Confocal microscopy can improve the visualization of histological samples, particularly those with fluorescent labels, by reducing out-of-focus blur.

mentioned alongside confocal microscopy in 10% (195) of relevant job posts