Lunaphore COMET (Schlieren)

Responsible Person

responsible person

Location

University Zurich, Schlieren Campus, Room WAD K134(532)

Training Request

Slide capacity

4 slides

Slide compatibility

Standard histology slides - 75 mm x 25 mm (3 in x 1 in), 1 mm thick, positively charged such as Epredia SuperFrost Plus

Sample fixation

Sample thickness

Automation level

Maximum imaging area 

Maximum staining area

Zoom (PNG, 193 KB)

Throughput

Reagents

• Offered by Lunaphore: SPYRE™ Antibody Panel kits & Tumor Markers (see Reagents bellow)
• Other standard primary antibodies of choice

• Only Alexa Fluor™ Plus 488, 555, 647, or 750 shall be used for secondary antibody labeling on COMET, as they are specifically matched to FITC, TRITC, Cy5, and Cy7 channels and ensure optimal performance.
• For RNAscope™ HiPlex Pro detection kit, RNAscope™HiPlex probes offered by ACD (Biotechne)

Software

• COMET™ Control Software – for instrument operation
• COMET Emulator Software - available for Reagent and Protocol builder on Special VM F
• Panel Builder – online application for automated generation of ready-to-use protocols
• HORIZON™ Viewer– for image visualization and quality control
• HORIZON™ Software – for image analysis (optional)
• Oncotopix® Discovery (Visiopharm)
• HALO® & HALO, AI™ (Indica Labs)
• Nucleai AI-powered solutions
• QuPath

Available Optics

Image resolution

Available Channels

Output file format

Zoom

User Guide

Links & Literature

Lunaphore COMET

Applies to: All COMET users at the Center for Microscopy and Image Analysis (ZMB), University of Zurich.

Last updated: 08 May, 2026

• Open “Free-booking”
  Open “Free-Bookings” slots are limited to 48 h from Mondays to Fridays. Longer runs must be scheduled via allocated lab blocks.
  • COMET can only be booked for up to 48 hours within 60 days per individual user.
  • The booking calendar opening will be announced in Spatial Biology TEAMS 60 days in advance during business hours.
• Full booking time
  Book only the expected instrument occupancy time, including:
  COMET runtime (accounting for tissue size) + post-run handling + reservoir cleaning
  • Reservoir cleaningYour booking includes the cleaning of all used reservoirs, except the 4 × 50 ml Falcon tubes, which are handled by the next user as part of their booking.
• Edit/cancel deadline
  Bookings can be edited or cancelled until 7 days before the start.
• No idle gaps
  Book back-to-back. Avoid unused gaps between bookings. ZMB staff will monitor booking calendar and adjust when in violation and monitor COMET run times.
• Deputy operatorYour booking includes responsibility for deputy coverage. If you cannot use your slot, your deputy operator takes over. If neither of you can use it, please inform the Spatial Biology Teams channel as early as possible.

Request access to Spatial TEAMS Channel

• Lab blocks
  Weekend (60 h) slots are assigned as monthly lab blocks. Unused lab slots must be released at least 21 days in advance.
  • Exchanges between labs are coordinated by users and communicated to ZMB staff for booking adjustments.
  • Try as a lab to combine if possible multiple experiments into a long weekend run in case a single experiment is not using the full capacity.
• Cohort studies
  Large cohort studies or coordinated multi-run projects must be requested at least 70 days in advance and require ZMB approval.
  • Submission includes COMET Preparation PDF (Total Run time)
  • We can only allow one cohort a month.

Submit Cohort Study

• Minimum booking length
  Each booking must be at least 8 h.
• Always include ZMB spatial biology team in all conversations.
  • olivia.hanley@zmb.uzh.ch & nicolas.schilling@zmb.uzh.ch

Training Sessions

(first‑time user training)

• Instrument time: First 4 hours free of charge; remaining time billed at standard rates.

• Chips: First chip free during training (Lunaphore MK03). Further chips must be purchased directly from Lunaphore by the user/group.

• Reagents provided for training (1 slide only):

  • Primary panel: SPYRE™ Immuno‑Oncology Core Panel Kit (human) (ZMB stock permitting).

  • Secondaries (for one slide only):

    • Alexa Fluor™ Plus 555 Goat anti-Mouse IgG (H+L) — Lunaphore, DR555MS

    • Alexa Fluor™ Plus 647 Goat anti-Mouse IgG (H+L) — Lunaphore, DR647MS

    • Alexa Fluor™ Plus 555 Goat anti-Rabbit IgG (H+L) — Lunaphore, DR555RB

    • Alexa Fluor™ Plus 647 Goat anti-Rabbit IgG (H+L) — Lunaphore, DR647RB

  • Buffers:

    • Multistaining Buffer 20× (BU06)

    • Dewax & HIER L pH 6 (AR02)

    • Dewax & HIER H pH 9 (AR03)

    • Imaging Buffer (BU09)

    • Elution Buffer Kit (BU07‑L)

    • Blocking Buffer (BU10)

    • Quenching Buffer Kit (BU08‑L)

• General: COMET requires reservoir cleaning after each run to enable smooth transitions.
• Small reservoirs (E1–E20): Cleaned by the user who used them. Refill ethanol & water to max levels so the cleaning cycle can be triggered via remote desktop.
  • Large reservoirs (4 × 50 mL Falcon tubes): Cleaned by the next booked user.

• To keep access fair, ZMB may cancel or reallocate bookings if a user/group dominates the calendar.
• If ZMB cancels due to hardware/software failure, maintenance, building power outage, or similar facility issues, we may override normal rules to rebook affected users with priority.

For questions or exceptions, please contact Olivia or Nicolas.

ZMB – Center for Microscopy and Image Analysis, University of Zurich
www.zmb.uzh.ch