A modular luminescence lifetime imaging system for mapping oxygen distribution in biological samples

We developed a new modular luminescence lifetime imaging system (MOLLI), that enables the imaging of luminescence lifetimes in the range of 1 μs to 1 s. The system can easily be adapted to different experimental applications. The central parts of the system are a recently released CCD-camera with a fast electronic shutter and gated LED (light emitting diode) or Xe excitation light sources. A personal computer controls the gating and image acquisition via a pulse delay generator. Here we present the new imaging system and give examples of its performance when used for measuring two-dimensional oxygen distributions with planar optodes. Furthermore, future applications of the system in biology are discussed.