FLUORESCENCE BLEACH RATE IMAGING

Bleach rate imaging on a (cooled) CCD can be easily achieved using a c onfocal microscope with bilateral scanning and detection coupled to a workstation; it is as easy as acquiring regular fluorescence images. S everal analysis and display methods for bleach rate imaging are presen ted such as the bleach map (and its inverse) and a matrix-based decomp osition method for multi-labelled specimens based on the bleach rate d ifferences between the dyes used. With these tools, bleach-rate-based imaging can become a viable alternative to multiple labelling techniqu es for component identification in fluorescent specimens.