Phase contrast is a light microscopy technique used to enhance the contrast of images of transparent and colourless specimens. It enables visualisation of cells and cell components that would be difficult to see using an ordinary light microscope. As phase contrast microscopy does not require cells to be killed, fixed or stained, the technique enables living cells, usually in culture, to be visualised in their natural state. This means biological processes can be seen and recorded at high contrast and specimen detail can be observed. Fluorescence staining can be used in combination with phase contrast to further improve the visualisation of samples.

At I3T our cell culture laboratory has a Metzer – M trinocular tissue culture microscope – 6000 TTCM (star), which is an inverted phase contrast microscope, allows us to examine the culture of live cells.