The facility is able to provide instrumentation to take single particle cryo-EM projects from the initial screening stage through to data collection for high resolution structures, as well as infrastructure for cryo electron tomography projects. We have four microscopes as well as equipment for sample preparation.
Talos 120kV (Transmission Electron Microscope) TEM
We are equipped with a ThermoFisher 120kV Talos microscope with a Ceta camera. This microscope is ideal for screening of room temperature negative stained sample grids to address sample integrity, but as well is enabled with a cryoarm for sample grid screening under cryogenic conditions.
Glacios 200kV TEM
Our ThermoFisher Glacios 200kV microscope has a Falcon III. The microscope autoloader capsule can accommodate up to 11 cryo-EM samples for screening and exploratory data collection. The Glacios is also available for high-resolution data collection where applicable.
Krios 300kV TEM
We have a FEI Titan Krios G2 300kV with fringe free imaging and multigrid data collection capabilities. The Krios has a ThermoFisher Selectris energy filter with a Falcon 4i detector. This microscope is prioritized for high-resolution, multi-day data collection. This is the preferred microscope for cryo electron tomography workflows which benefit from the energy filter.
Aquilos 2 FIBMill (Focused Ion Beam Milling) SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope)
The Aquilos 2 is available for cryo-FIB preparation of suitably thin lamella for subsequent TEM imaging. The Aquilos 2 is equipped with a cryo-stage, SEM, gallium ion FIB milling, and integrated fluorescence arm (iFLM) for CLEM targeting. It can also be used for cryo-SEM of biological samples.
Sample Preparation
We have two Vitrobot Mark IV robots for sample vitrification. We also have a Solarus II plasma cleaner for grid preparation and a Leica EM GP Automatic plunge freezer with bare grid technique for one-sided blotting. Sample preparation equipment is located in a climate controlled low humidity room to minimise contamination of samples during preparation. Specialized grid manufacture by request.
