Bruker Introduces High-Speed OptoVolt Module

Bruker Corporation has released the OptoVolt module to further expand advanced neuroscience research capabilities on its Ultima multiphoton microscope platform.

OptoVolt accelerates imaging speeds to beyond 1,000 frames per second to capture the millisecond dynamics of cell-to-cell neural communication. With the emergence of fluorescent voltage indicators, researchers will be able to measure neural activity with higher temporal resolution than traditional fluorescent calcium indicators have allowed.

“I see voltage imaging becoming a key tool in the investigation of neural circuits and systems neuroscience in the near future,” said Professor Thomas Clandinin, with Stanford University’s Department of Neurobiology. “We are excited about new instrumentation that expands the possibilities for optically interrogating cellular and sub-cellular signaling at the temporal resolution of individual action potentials.”

The OptoVolt module addresses voltage imaging challenges by providing a scanner technology that is capable of operating at ultrafast speeds and with the necessary signal-to-noise ratio to detect individual neural events. When combined with Bruker’s NeuraLight 3D Ultra spatial light modulator (SLM) for 3D optogenetic activation, the entire platform enables researchers to probe input-output relationships of neural ensembles at unprecedented temporal and spatial resolutions, according to the company.

“We are proud to introduce this advancement in neural circuit imaging capabilities, with its combined imaging speed and signal-to-noise performance that allows millisecond neural event detection at single neuron resolution,” stated Xiaomei Li, Ph.D., vice president and general manager of Bruker’s Fluorescence Microscopy Business. “OptoVolt demonstrates how we pay attention to our customers’ evolving research needs and work closely with them to drive innovation. With such direct collaboration, we are able to build upon the versatile Ultima 2Pplus platform as the ideal solution for all-optical neuroscience research.”

The OptoVolt module integrates seamlessly with the Ultima 2Pplus multiphoton microscope to provide kilohertz-level imaging speeds, capturing dynamics at up to 1,000 frames per second. OptoVolt technology leverages novel voltage indicator proteins, such as ASAP4 from Stanford University and JEDI-2P from Baylor College of Medicine, ensuring compatibility with the latest developments in the field. The system’s modular design retains the depth and resolution of traditional two-photon imaging, while enabling flexible adjustments between speed and signal intensity. Additionally, OptoVolt’s integration with the NeuraLight 3D Ultra SLM allows for simultaneous optogenetic manipulation and voltage imaging, facilitating comprehensive functional mapping of neural circuits. This capability allows researchers to visualize action potentials and sub-threshold membrane potentials across large neural networks, bridging the gap between single-cell electrophysiology and wide-field calcium imaging.

Bruker’s scientific instruments, along with its analytical and diagnostic solutions, enable scientists to explore life and materials at molecular, cellular, and microscopic levels. In close cooperation with customers, Bruker enables innovation, improved productivity, and customer success in post-genomic life science molecular and cell biology research, in applied and biopharma applications, in microscopy and nanoanalysis, as well as in industrial and cleantech research, and next-generation semiconductor metrology in support of artificial intelligence. Bruker offers differentiated, high-value life science and diagnostics systems and solutions in preclinical imaging, clinical phenomics research, proteomics and multiomics, spatial and single-cell biology, functional structural and condensate biology, as well as in clinical microbiology and molecular diagnostics.