Ultima 2Pplus - Main applications

The Ultima 2Pplus two-photon microscope is designed to enable high-resolution, intravital, cellular and subcellular imaging in anesthetized or head-fixed awake animals, including during controlled sensory stimulation or task performance. It provides optical sectioning and deep-tissue imaging with reduced phototoxicity, allowing precise spatial mapping of neural, immune, and vascular activity within intact brain and peripheral tissues.

*Common applications of intravital two-photon microscopy*

Common applications of intravital two-photon microscopy

Brain imaging

  • Calcium imaging (GCamp, RCamp)

    • Enables optical detection of action potential–associated intracellular Ca²⁺ transients in single neurons and neuronal populations.

    • Supports imaging of excitatory and inhibitory circuits in cortical and subcortical regions during sensory stimulation, behavior, learning, rest, or spontaneous activity.

    • Allows quantification of firing dynamics, population synchrony, and circuit-level coding.

  • Neurotransmitter imaging (dLight, GRAB, iGluSnFR)

    • Measures extracellular dynamics of neurotransmitters such as dopamine, glutamate, acetylcholine, and serotonin in vivo.

    • Enables direct assessment of neuromodulatory signaling and its relationship to neural activity.

    • Applied in studies of motivation, reinforcement learning, decision-making, attention, and neuropsychiatric disease models.

  • Sequential multi-signal imaging

    • Allows imaging of multiple fluorescent reporters across sequential acquisitions or experimental sessions using a single excitation laser.

    • Enables comparison of activity across distinct neuronal populations, signaling pathways, or molecular readouts within the same brain region.

    • Suitable for static/static and static/dynamic experimental designs.

  • Longitudinal circuit and ensemble tracking

    • Supports stable chronic imaging of the same neuronal populations over days to weeks through cranial windows.

    • Enables investigation of learning-induced plasticity, memory consolidation, recovery after injury, and neurodegenerative disease progression.

    • Facilitates analysis of neuronal identity retention and population-level stability or reorganization.

  • Neurovascular and blood flow imaging

    • Enables visualization of cerebral vasculature, vessel diameter changes, and capillary blood flow using fluorescent tracers.

    • Supports studies of neurovascular coupling, metabolic demand, and vascular dysfunction.

    • Applied in aging, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and neurodegenerative disease research.

  • Structural and synaptic imaging

    • High-resolution visualization of dendrites, axons, spines, synaptic boutons, and glial processes.

    • Allows correlation of functional activity with structural remodeling and synaptic plasticity.

    • Applied in developmental neuroscience, experience-dependent plasticity, and disease models.

Peripheral tissue imaging

Intravital imaging of peripheral organs and tissues requires direct optical access via implanted or surgically prepared imaging windows, enabling real-time visualization of cellular dynamics, signaling events, and microenvironmental interactions under physiological conditions.

  • Immune cell tracking and interaction analysis

    • Visualizes immune cell migration, arrest, and cell–cell interactions in tissues such as skin, lymph nodes, lung, liver, and intestine.

    • Enables investigation of immune surveillance, inflammation, infection, and autoimmune responses.

    • Supports longitudinal tracking of immune behavior during disease progression or therapeutic intervention.

  • Tumor and tumor microenvironment imaging

    • Enables high-resolution imaging of cancer cells, stromal components, and immune infiltrates in vivo.

    • Allows analysis of tumor cell invasion, metastasis, and cell–cell interactions within the tumor microenvironment.

    • Applied in preclinical oncology and therapeutic response studies.

  • Metabolic and biosensor imaging

    • Supports imaging of genetically encoded or dye-based biosensors reporting on metabolism, redox state, ion concentration, or intracellular signaling pathways.

    • Enables investigation of tissue stress, metabolic heterogeneity, and signaling dynamics in health and disease.

  • Tissue remodeling and regeneration

    • Enables longitudinal imaging of cell migration, extracellular matrix remodeling, and tissue repair processes.

    • Applied in regenerative medicine, fibrosis, chronic inflammation, and aging research.

  • Microvascular and blood flow imaging

    • Visualizes capillary perfusion, leukocyte trafficking, angiogenesis, and vascular remodeling in peripheral organs.

    • Enables studies of ischemia, inflammation, wound healing, and vascular pathology.

    • Supports assessment of tissue perfusion and vascular responses to pharmacological or genetic manipulation.