Research at Fox Chase »Research Facilities »BioImaging

Michal Jarnik, PhD Facility Manager Rongji Chen, PhD Scientific Technician

Reimann Building, Room R379 215-728-5675 Michal.Jarnik@fccc.edu

Function

The Electron Microscopy (EM) Facility provides the following services to Fox Chase researchers:

• counseling on the appropriate methods for particular projects
• sample preparation for transmission and scanning EM
• viewing and photographic/digital documentation of the samples
• analysis and interpretation of the results
• printing of EM images and preparation of presentation-quality images

Transmission EM sample preparation methods available include negative staining, freeze-fracturing, freeze-drying/etching, critical point drying, unidirectional and rotary shadowing, epoxy resin embedding (standard or flat), low temperature acrylic resin embedding, preparation of cryo-samples, ultrathin sectioning (standard or flat) of resin-embedded or frozen samples and immuno-gold cytochemistry. Recently, we introduced comparative microscopy enabling selection and marking of cells at light microscopy level and, after resin embedding, their sectioning (including serial) and viewing at EM level. For scanning EM, air-, critical-point- or freeze-drying and sputter- coating are available.

The EM Facility provides a wide scale of auxiliary methods, including, but not limited to, thin film preparation/coating and glow-discharge treatment of sample supports. Custom protein-gold complexes are available on demand.

Description

The facility consists of two wet-bench laboratories, two EM rooms, darkroom, and the director's office. In 2002, a new FEI Tecnai 12 transmission EM equipped with wide-angle CCD camera was acquired (Shared Instrumentation Grant). Other major equipment includes: a Philip EM420T EM, an ETEC Autoscan scanning EM, three Reichelt Ultracut E microtomes (two equipped with cryo-attachment), a Leica Automatic Freeze-Substitution unit, a Denton vacuum evaporator, and a Balzers freeze- dryer/metal evaporator. The darkroom is equipped for the development of electron micrographs and the enlargement of photographic prints. The facility is equipped for processing of digitally (CCD camera) acquired images. Specialized techniques are available for the study of diverse biological specimens, e.g., negative staining, critical- point drying, cryo-fixation/cryo-substitution for the study of cells and viruses, serum protein particles, cell membrane fractions and vesicles, rotational shadow- casting of nucleic acid molecules spread in protein films or by protein-free methods, ultrathin sectioning of cells and tissues, and pre- and post-embedding immunolabeling of antigens in whole cells and on ultrathin sections.