Quality Control in Microscopy: Why We Chose Argolight

Microscopy is at the heart of countless biomedical discoveries—but how do you make sure the images you produce today are as reliable as those from last year, or last month? At i3S in Porto, Portugal, Maria Azevedo has found a simple answer: systematic quality control with Argolight.

A Facility Where Reliability Matters

At the Advanced Light Microscopy scientific platform of i3S, Maria has been improving the quality control of microscopes since 2017. With a PhD in biomedical sciences, she is now deputy manager, supporting more than 250 users each year – from local students to external ones, and company researchers.

Her daily work includes training users, troubleshooting experiments, liaising with companies for technical support, and above all, running regular quality control (QC) on 10 out of the 12 systems of the facility. “I inspect each system once a month, so I end up using the Argolight slide every week,” she explains.

Why Quality Control Matters?

Maria has seen firsthand how QC changes the way users interact with the facility. 

For her, QC is not just about spotting issues:

• It differentiates sample-related problems from system-related ones, saving time in troubleshooting.
• It gives measurable numbers instead of vague impressions, allowing her to predict failures, such as laser power decay.
• It strengthens relationships with service engineers, who appreciate detailed feedback after interventions.
• And it even supports publications and audits, as journals increasingly request QC data.

From Beads to Argolight

Before adopting Argolight, the facility relied only on fluorescent beads to perform QC. But preparing them is slow.
“With beads, you need at least a day to prepare the solution, mount the sample, and wait before you can use it. Argolight is simply ready. If a user complains, you can test immediately. The slide is stable over time, unlike bead preparations that degrade.”

This doesn’t mean beads are gone forever. Maria still uses them for specific tasks, such as PSF or chromatic shift checks. But overall, Argolight brings unique advantages:

• One slide, many tests (field uniformity, chromatic co-registration, laser stability, etc.).
• Time-saving and reliable, always ready when needed.
• Combined with Daybook software, it allows results to be tracked and compared over time in easy-to-read graphs.

“At first, I wasn’t sure. I still used beads more often. But then, I realized Argolight combines two big advantages: the readiness of the sample and the ability to track results with software. Together, they make your life much easier.”

The Takeaway

For Maria, the message is simple:

“Nowadays, quality control is not optional. With Argolight, it’s also not complicated. It’s a very nice tool, stable and straightforward. It makes QC much easier – and gives us the confidence that our users’ data is trustworthy.”

As Maria’s experience shows, reliable imaging doesn’t just depend on cutting-edge microscopes—it depends on making sure those microscopes stay in top condition, day after day. Argolight provides an easy, stable, and powerful way to achieve that. And for facilities like i3S, it’s more than just a technical solution: it’s a tool that builds trust, ensures reproducibility, and empowers researchers to focus on what matters most—making new discoveries.

Learn more

i3S – www.i3s.up.pt

Twitter – https://twitter.com/ALM_i3S

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/advanced.light.microscopy_i3s/?hl=pt

PPBI – Portuguese Platform of BioImaging – http://www.ppbi.pt