U28-S08. Cryo-TEM

Cryo-TEM

The Electron Microscopy Service offers access to transmission electron microscopy (TEM), cryo-TEM and electron tomography, high resolution scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and environmental SEM. A special emphasis has been made on high-end sample preparation techniques through cryo-immobilization. All the equipment has been configured to provide its best for biological and nanomedicine applications.

Customer benefits

We have SOPs and ISO9001 certification. We also have specialist technicians for the use of the equipment.

This service is essential to:

• Cellular characterization: cell structures and ultrastructures visualization and its relationship to function are the most important contributions of cryo-EM to cell biology.
• Tissue characterization: cryo-electron microscopy has a role in the characterization of interactions between cells and with other components inside tissues.
• Biomaterials characterization: cryo-electron microscopy plays a double role in biomaterial characterization On one hand, it provides structural and compositional information on the materials engineered to be used inside biological systems, favouring its development On the other hand, it allows us to visualize their interactions Functionalized polymeric and metallic nanoparticles for drug delivery, dental implants, bone plates and cements, and artificial tissues are among the biomaterials that can benefit from the information provided by cryo-EM.
• Macromolecular complexes characterization: structural biology can benefit from cryo-electron microscopy to determine native 3D structures of macromolecular complexes.

Target customer

Any company or research group interested in:

• Electron Microscopy of frozen-hydrated samples.
• Plunge-freezing of samples in water solution (vitrification) for cryo-transmission electron microscopy.
• Cryo-fixation of samples at high pressure (High-Pressure Freezing).
• Glow-discharge of film-coated transmission electron microscopy grids.
• Data and image processing.
• Technical advice for users regarding the selection of protocols and procedures for experiments involving electron microscopy.

References

1. Galisteo-González F, Molina-Bolívar JA, Navarro SA, Boulaiz H, Aguilera-Garrido A, Ramírez A, Marchal JA. Albumin-covered lipid nanocapsules exhibit enhanced uptake performance by breast-tumor cells. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces. 2018 May 1;165:103-110. doi: 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2018.02.024. Epub 2018 Feb 13. PMID: 29471218.
2. Molina-Bolívar J.A., Galisteo-González F. Olive-oil nanocapsules stabilized by HSA: Influence of processing variables on particle properties. J. Nanoparticle Res. 2015;17 doi: 10.1007/s11051-015-3192-1