Services
The labs of the Electron Microscopy Facility are located in the CRTD and offer services for embedding, sectioning and staining of a wide variety of biological specimens for ultrastructural analysis. In addition, the facility offers special services like high pressure freezing and freeze substitution, negative staining of particles, critical point drying and sputter coating of SEM samples, and immunolabeling procedures for correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM), as well as access to sample preparation technology and transmission and scanning electron microscopes. More demanding projects that include sample preparation, image acquisition, and data analysis are performed as scientific collaborations. The facilitiy also constantly works on improvements of sample preparation protocols and on the development of new techniques, especially in the areas of CLEM, immunolabeling and cryopreparation for EM. The Facility is part of the BioDIP network.
Services Electron Microscopy
Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM)
- Conventional processing and embedding of cells and tissues into epoxy or methacrylate resins (Epon, Spurrs resin, Lowicryl)
- Microwave-assisted tissue processing and embedding
- Embedding into gelatin/sucrose followed by plunge freezing in liquid nitrogen for Tokuyasu cryo-sectioning
- High presssure freezing (HPF) and freeze substitution (FS)
- Ultramicrotomy at room temperature and at low temperature (Tokuyasu cryo-sectioning)
- Immunogold labeling of resin or Tokuyasu cryo-sections (postembedding labeling)
- Preembedding immunolabeling using HRP or Nanogold and silver enhancement
- Simultaneous immunofluorescence- and immunogold labeling for correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM)
- Negative staining
- Imaging and data analysis
- Training and general support
Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)
- Conventional sample preparation for SEM (fixation, postfixation, dehydration)
- Critical point drying
- Sputter coating (with gold, gold-palladium, platinum, or chromium)
- Imaging and data analysis
- Training and general support