Leica Microsystems Mica imaging platform

Leica Microsystems has launched Mica — a type of wholly integrated imaging solution that leverages machine learning software, automation tools and fluorescence unmixing techniques to automate the imaging workflow for researchers, regardless of their microscopy experience levels. The product has been built for those who wish to utilise complex imaging in their research, while focusing more on their biology than the specialism of microscopy.

All researchers, regardless of expertise, can now work in a single digital imaging platform, moving from set-up to beautifully visualised results. The product intelligently automates sample-finding, parameter-setting and focus constancy, replacing manual set-up with just one push of a button. It is designed to eliminate over 85% of the tedious set-up steps in the conventional imaging workflow.

Users can visualise four labels simultaneously in widefield using Leica’s FluoSync technology, claimed to offer four times more data with 100% correlation compared to traditional fluorescence imaging methods. They can then switch seamlessly to confocal without moving the sample, to explore unexpected paths with no constraints.

The platform also fully integrates everything a researcher needs for radically simplified workflows, using automation and AI to enable deep understanding and a fast track to publication. For example, to perform a complex experiment such as a fluorescence multi-well plate assay, the current workflow can be simplified from 24 steps using a conventional microscope to just eight steps.