Super-Resolution Microscopy – VectorLabs https://staging.vectorlabs.com From linker design and synthesis, bioconjugated design and manufacturing, biomolecule labeling and functionalization, and detection system and solutions, our team is here to help you move forward, with impact. Wed, 22 Oct 2025 17:14:33 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://staging.vectorlabs.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/V-favicon-02-100x100.png Super-Resolution Microscopy – VectorLabs https://staging.vectorlabs.com 32 32 VECTASHIELD® Antifade Mounting Medium https://staging.vectorlabs.com/products/vectashield/ Mon, 01 May 2023 15:43:04 +0000 https://staging.vectorlabs.com/?post_type=product&p=13510 Description

VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Medium is a unique, stable formula for preserving fluorescence. This medium inhibits rapid photobleaching of fluorescent proteins and fluorescent dyes.

Features:

  • Ideal refractive index
  • Ready to use
  • No warming necessary
  • Can be stored without sealing for long term analysis
  • Easy to use

The original VECTASHIELD  Mounting Medium does not solidify, but remains a liquid on the slide and can be stored without sealing. If desired, coverslips can be sealed around the perimeter with nail polish or a plastic sealant. Mounted slides should be stored at 4 °C, protected from light.

Specifications

Unit Size 10 ml
Applications Immunofluorescence, In situ hybridization, Cellular Imaging, Super-Resolution Microscopy
Mounting Aqueous (Non-Hardening)
Antifade Yes
Counterstain None

The post VECTASHIELD® Antifade Mounting Medium appeared first on VectorLabs.

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Description

VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Medium is a unique, stable formula for preserving fluorescence. This medium inhibits rapid photobleaching of fluorescent proteins and fluorescent dyes.

Features:

  • Ideal refractive index
  • Ready to use
  • No warming necessary
  • Can be stored without sealing for long term analysis
  • Easy to use

The original VECTASHIELD  Mounting Medium does not solidify, but remains a liquid on the slide and can be stored without sealing. If desired, coverslips can be sealed around the perimeter with nail polish or a plastic sealant. Mounted slides should be stored at 4 °C, protected from light.

Specifications

Unit Size10 ml
ApplicationsImmunofluorescence, In situ hybridization, Cellular Imaging, Super-Resolution Microscopy
MountingAqueous (Non-Hardening)
AntifadeYes
CounterstainNone

Documents

Product FAQs

Of the many variations of super resolution microscopy (SRM) currently being used, investigators have found the properties of product H-1000 (VECTASHIELD), to be advantageous in stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and structured illumination microscopy (SIM). Refer to the following published references for further information: 1) Olivier, N., et al (2013) Simple buffers for 3D STORM microscopy. Biochemical Optics Express 4:885-899. 2) Wegel., et al (2016) Imaging cellular structuires in super-resolution with SIM, STED and localisation microscopy: A practical comparison. Scientific Reports 6:27290.

All of the VECTASHIELD formats we currently offer which includes regular non-setting VECTASHIELD, PLUS, HardSet and Vibrance formulations each contain a percentage of glycerol.

No form of tissue dehydration (e.g. air drying or ethanol exposure) is required nor recommended when applying VECTASHIELD. From our experience, the most optimal antifade actions of VECTASHIELD are obtained when the preparation is removed from the final buffer/water rinse, kept slightly wet/moist and then coverslipped with a small volume (25-50 uL) of VECTASHIELD.

That depends upon how long you wish to retain the slides and which VECTASHIELD formulation you are using. If you are using one of our non-setting VECTASHIELD products such as H-1000/H-1200 or H-1900/H-2000, then we suggest sealing the coverslip with plastic sealant or nail polish if you intend to keep the slides beyond a day or so. If you are using one of our setting/curing formulations such as VECTASHIELD HardSet or Vibrance, then in most cases when using thin cut (<10 um) tissue sections or cell monolayers, no sealing of the coverslip is required.

Citations

Technical Information

VECTASHIELD Mounting Media are compatible with a wide array of fluorochromes, enzymatic substrates, and fluorescent proteins. Please consult the compatibility table (in the “Documents” section) to determine if VECTASHIELD will be compatible in your system.

All formulations of VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Media are available with or without the counterstain DAPI (4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole).  The DAPI concentration can be modified by mixing with the corresponding VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium without DAPI.  DAPI produces a blue fluorescence when bound to DNA with excitation at about 360 nm and emission at 460 nm.

The refractive index for VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium is 1.45.

VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium in Super Resolution Microscopy

The optimal medium for super-resolution imaging methods maximizes the lifetime and photoswitching characteristics of fluorophores. VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium has been shown to be compatible with a number of fluorophores used in super resolution methods including STORM, STED, and 3D-SIM imaging, such as Cy5 or Alexa Fluor 647, resulting in greater convenience and reproducibility of the method. (Olivier, N. et al., 2013, Biomedical Optics Express, Vol. 4 No. 6, pp. 885-899; Glushonkov, O. et al., 2018, Scientific Reports, V 8, 8749 (2018) ).

VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium Antifade Comparison

Other manufacturers measure the antifade properties of their mountants using labeled microspheres or arrayed spots. Vector Labs prefers to measure antifade properties of VECTASHIELD mountants using frozen tissue sections immunohistochemically stained with fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies.  Antifade capability is measured using a 40x objective with real time imaging over 30 seconds of continuous exposure to the excitation illumination. Individual intensity measurements are recorded from 6 separate labeled regions and the average is calculated. The intensity after 30 second exposure is expressed as a percentage of the intensity at zero time. The values for PG are taken from the manufacturer s published results.

VSPGcomp jpg
VS.Chart .v2 jpg

Check out the video below on how to use a hydrophobic barrier pen.

Still using the original VECTASHIELD?

Try our upgraded product VECTASHIELD® PLUS Antifade Mounting Medium

02 15 23 banner jpg

How to mount a coverslip on a slide

Correctly coverslipping your slides ensures that your tissue specimens are preserved for optimal imaging and viewing. In this blog post, we will walk you through how to properly coverslip your slides to protect your samples.

august 10 banner 1

How to choose antifade mounting media

As far as antifade mounting media go, one-size-fits-all solutions are few and far between. Here, we break down key factors you should consider when choosing the best antifade mounting medium for your experiment.

Screenshot 2023 03 15 at 12.45.40 PM
Step by step protocol
Screenshot 2023 03 15 at 12.45.07 PM
VECTASHIELD® Brochure

The post VECTASHIELD® Antifade Mounting Medium appeared first on VectorLabs.

]]> VECTASHIELD® PLUS Antifade Mounting Medium https://staging.vectorlabs.com/products/vectashield-plus-antifade/ Mon, 01 May 2023 15:29:14 +0000 https://staging.vectorlabs.com/?post_type=product&p=13487 Description

VECTASHIELD PLUS protects against fading across the visible spectrum, even under far-red wavelengths. It is compatible with most commercially available fluorophores. This new formulation of non-setting media improves upon the original VECTASHIELD products. Specifically, VECTASHIELD PLUS exhibits no inherent background or toning and provides superior fluorophore signal retention across the spectrum, including far-red wavelengths.

Features:

  • No inherent toning or background
  • Superior signal retention across the spectrum from blue to far red
  • Mounted sections can be viewed immediately
  • Available in two convenient sizes
  • Superior non-setting formulation

 

Specifications

Unit Size 2 ml, 10 ml
Applications Immunofluorescence, In situ hybridization
Recommended Storage 2-8 ºC
Mounting Aqueous (Non-Hardening)
Antifade Yes
Counterstain None

Technical Information

The refractive index for VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium is 1.45.

VECTASHIELD PLUS Mounting Medium does not solidify, but rather, remains a liquid on the slide—which can then be stored without sealing. If desired, coverslips can be sealed around the perimeter using nail polish or plastic sealant. Mounted slides should be stored at 2-8 °C and protected from light.

VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium Antifade Comparison

Other manufacturers measure the antifade properties of their mountants using labeled microspheres or arrayed spots. Vector Labs prefers to measure antifade properties of VECTASHIELD mountants using frozen tissue sections that have been immunohistochemically stained with fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies. Antifade capability is then measured using a 40x objective with real time imaging over 30 seconds of continuous exposure to the excitation illumination. Individual intensity measurements are recorded from 6 separate labeled regions and the average is calculated. The intensity after 30 second exposure is expressed as a percentage of the intensity at zero time. The values for PG are taken from the manufacturer’s published results.

The post VECTASHIELD® PLUS Antifade Mounting Medium appeared first on VectorLabs.

]]>

Description

VECTASHIELD PLUS protects against fading across the visible spectrum, even under far-red wavelengths. It is compatible with most commercially available fluorophores. This new formulation of non-setting media improves upon the original VECTASHIELD products. Specifically, VECTASHIELD PLUS exhibits no inherent background or toning and provides superior fluorophore signal retention across the spectrum, including far-red wavelengths.

Features:

  • No inherent toning or background
  • Superior signal retention across the spectrum from blue to far red
  • Mounted sections can be viewed immediately
  • Available in two convenient sizes
  • Superior non-setting formulation

Specifications

Unit Size2 ml, 10 ml
ApplicationsImmunofluorescence, In situ hybridization
Recommended Storage2-8 ºC
MountingAqueous (Non-Hardening)
AntifadeYes
CounterstainNone

Documents

Product FAQ

VECTASHIELD PLUS provides several advantages over the regular VECTASHIELD (H-1000 & H-1200). In particular, VECTASHIELD PLUS media have significantly lower inherent background​ toning and provide superior signal retention particularly in the far-red spectrum (e.g. Cy5).

Similar to other non-setting media, we recommend you to seal the coverslip perimeter if the intention is to store the slides for a period of time.

Yes, the antifade mounting media are at least equivalent in signal retention. We have not seen any reduction in performance ​with any fluorophores evaluated, and with some dyes (i.e. Alexa Fluor 647 and Dylight 649) there are advantages. 

We do know that regular VECTASHIELD antifade mounting media (H-1000 & H-1200) are suitable for SRM.​ However, the formulation for VECTASHIELD PLUS is different from that used for ​regular VECTASHIELD. Indeed one component of H-1000 and​ H-1200 that may have been a contributing factor to the underlying blue​ tone and that appears to play a key role in optimal signal for SRM, has​ been removed from VECTASHIELD PLUS. Therefore, until we have data to the ​contrary VECTASHIELD PLUS would not be recommended for SRM.

Technical Information

The refractive index for VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium is 1.45.

VECTASHIELD PLUS Mounting Medium does not solidify, but rather, remains a liquid on the slide—which can then be stored without sealing. If desired, coverslips can be sealed around the perimeter using nail polish or plastic sealant. Mounted slides should be stored at 2-8 °C and protected from light.

VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium Antifade Comparison

Other manufacturers measure the antifade properties of their mountants using labeled microspheres or arrayed spots. Vector Labs prefers to measure antifade properties of VECTASHIELD mountants using frozen tissue sections that have been immunohistochemically stained with fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies. Antifade capability is then measured using a 40x objective with real time imaging over 30 seconds of continuous exposure to the excitation illumination. Individual intensity measurements are recorded from 6 separate labeled regions and the average is calculated. The intensity after 30 second exposure is expressed as a percentage of the intensity at zero time. The values for PG are taken from the manufacturer’s published results.

New Fluorophore Signal Table VECTASHIELD jpg New Fluoro Remaining Graph jpg VS.Chart .v2 jpg

Resources

02 15 23 banner jpg

How to mount a coverslip on a slide

Correctly coverslipping your slides ensures that your tissue specimens are preserved for optimal imaging and viewing. In this blog post, we will walk you through how to properly coverslip your slides to protect your samples.

august 10 banner 1

How to choose antifade mounting media

As far as antifade mounting media go, one-size-fits-all solutions are few and far between. Here, we break down key factors you should consider when choosing the best antifade mounting medium for your experiment.

v2 cover VL H 1900 UserGuide LBL00829 jpg
Step by Step Protocol
v2 VL LIT3018 VECTASHIELD PLUS Brochure Cover 1 jpg
Product-specific information

The post VECTASHIELD® PLUS Antifade Mounting Medium appeared first on VectorLabs.

]]> VECTASHIELD® Antifade Mounting Medium with DAPI https://staging.vectorlabs.com/products/vectashield-with-dapi/ Tue, 25 Apr 2023 20:29:33 +0000 https://staging.vectorlabs.com/?post_type=product&p=12042 Description

VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Medium with DAPI is a unique, stable formula for preserving fluorescence. This medium inhibits rapid photobleaching of fluorescent proteins and fluorescent dyes. VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium with DAPI does not solidify, but remains a liquid on the slide and can be stored without sealing.

Features:

  • Ideal refractive index
  • Ready to use
  • No warming necessary
  • Can be stored without sealing for long term analysis
  • Easy to use

Specifications

Unit Size 10 ml
Applications Immunofluorescence, In situ hybridization, Cellular Imaging
Mounting Aqueous (Non-Hardening)
Antifade Yes
Counterstain DAPI (blue fluorescence)
Cellular Stain Nucleus

The post VECTASHIELD® Antifade Mounting Medium with DAPI appeared first on VectorLabs.

]]>

Still using the original VECTASHIELD with DAPI?

Try our upgraded product VECTASHIELD® PLUS Antifade Mounting Medium with DAPI

Description

VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Medium with DAPI is a unique, stable formula for preserving fluorescence. This medium inhibits rapid photobleaching of fluorescent proteins and fluorescent dyes. VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium with DAPI does not solidify, but remains a liquid on the slide and can be stored without sealing.

Features:

  • Ideal refractive index
  • Ready to use
  • No warming necessary
  • Can be stored without sealing for long term analysis
  • Easy to use

Specifications

Unit Size10 ml
ApplicationsImmunofluorescence, In situ hybridization, Cellular Imaging
MountingAqueous (Non-Hardening)
AntifadeYes
CounterstainDAPI (blue fluorescence)
Cellular StainNucleus

Documents

Product FAQs

Of the many variations of super resolution microscopy (SRM) currently being used, investigators have found the properties of product H-1000 (VECTASHIELD), to be advantageous in stochastic optical reconstruction microscopy (STORM) and structured illumination microscopy (SIM). Refer to the following published references for further information: 1) Olivier, N., et al (2013) Simple buffers for 3D STORM microscopy. Biochemical Optics Express 4:885-899. 2) Wegel., et al (2016) Imaging cellular structuires in super-resolution with SIM, STED and localisation microscopy: A practical comparison. Scientific Reports 6:27290.

All of the VECTASHIELD formats we currently offer which includes regular non-setting VECTASHIELD, PLUS, HardSet and Vibrance formulations each contain a percentage of glycerol.

No form of tissue dehydration (e.g. air drying or ethanol exposure) is required nor recommended when applying VECTASHIELD. From our experience, the most optimal antifade actions of VECTASHIELD are obtained when the preparation is removed from the final buffer/water rinse, kept slightly wet/moist and then coverslipped with a small volume (25-50 uL) of VECTASHIELD.

That depends upon how long you wish to retain the slides and which VECTASHIELD formulation you are using. If you are using one of our non-setting VECTASHIELD products such as H-1000/H-1200 or H-1900/H-2000, then we suggest sealing the coverslip with plastic sealant or nail polish if you intend to keep the slides beyond a day or so. If you are using one of our setting/curing formulations such as VECTASHIELD HardSet or Vibrance, then in most cases when using thin cut (<10 um) tissue sections or cell monolayers.

Citations

Technical Information

VECTASHIELD Mounting Media are compatible with a wide array of fluorochromes, enzymatic substrates, and fluorescent proteins. For more information about the compatibility of VECTASHIELD products, please consult the VECTASHIELD® Mounting Medium Compatibility table.

All formulations of VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Media are available with or without the counterstain DAPI (4′, 6-diamidino-2-phenylindole), which produces a blue fluorescence when bound to DNA with excitation at about 360 nm and emission at 460 nm.  If desired, the concentration of DAPI can be reduced by mixing with the corresponding VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium (without DAPI).

If desired, coverslips can be sealed around the perimeter with nail polish or a plastic sealant. Mounted slides should be stored at 4 °C, protected from light.

The refractive index for VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium is 1.45.

VECTASHIELD Mounting Medium Antifade Comparison

Other manufacturers measure the antifade properties of their mountants using labeled microspheres or arrayed spots. Vector Labs prefers to measure antifade properties of VECTASHIELD mountants using frozen tissue sections immunohistochemically stained with fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies. Antifade capability is then measured using a 40x objective with real time imaging over 30 seconds of continuous exposure to the excitation illumination. Individual intensity measurements are recorded from 6 separate labeled regions and the average is calculated. The intensity after 30 second exposure is expressed as a percentage of the intensity at zero time. The values for PG are taken from the manufacturer s published results.

ProductCounterstainCatalog NumberUnit SizeHardeningRefractive Index
VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting MediumNoneH-100010 mlNo1.45
DAPIH-120010 mlNo1.45
PIH-130010 mlNo1.45
VECTASHIELD PLUS Antifade Mounting MediumNoneH-19002 ml, 10 mlNo1.45
DAPIH-20002 ml, 10 mlNo1.45
VECTASHIELD HardSet Antifade Mounting MediumNoneH-140010 mlYes1.36 (initial)
1.46 (cured)
DAPIH-150010 mlYes1.36 (initial)
1.46 (cured)
TRITC-PhalloidinH-160010 mlYes1.36 (initial)
1.46 (cured)
VECTASHIELD Vibrance Antifade Mounting MediumNoneH-17002 ml, 10 mlYes1.38 (initial)
1.47 (cured)
DAPIH-18002 ml, 10 mlYes1.38 (initial)
1.47 (cured)

Additional Properties of VECTASHIELD Antifade Mounting Medium

VSPGcomp jpg

Check out this video on coverslipping tips for immunofluorescence slide mounting

02 15 23 banner jpg

How to mount a coverslip on a slide

Correctly coverslipping your slides ensures that your tissue specimens are preserved for optimal imaging and viewing. In this blog post, we will walk you through how to properly coverslip your slides to protect your samples.

august 10 banner 1

How to choose antifade mounting media

As far as antifade mounting media go, one-size-fits-all solutions are few and far between. Here, we break down key factors you should consider when choosing the best antifade mounting medium for your experiment.

Screenshot 2023 03 16 at 1.47.08 PM
Step by Step Protocol
Screenshot 2023 03 15 at 12.45.07 PM
Screenshot 2023 03 15 at 12.45.07 PM

The post VECTASHIELD® Antifade Mounting Medium with DAPI appeared first on VectorLabs.

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