Versatile and Affordable Plunge Freezing Instrument for CryoEM

A Versatile and Affordable Plunge Freezing Instrument for Preparing Frozen Hydrated Specimens for Cryo Transmission Electron Microscopy (CryoEM)

Linda Melanson, Gatan, Inc., Pleasanton, CA [lmelanson@gatan.com]

CryoEM is a powerful tool in the arsenal of structural biologists and soft polymer chemists. Hydrated specimens require a preservation method that will counteract the effects of the electron beam and the high vacuum environment of the electron microscope. Classical specimen preparation techniques using chemical fixatives are not able to capture the native structure of the once hydrated specimen perfectly. In contrast to classical methods for preserving specimens for electron microscopy, rapid freezing of radiation-sensitive specimens such as dispersed biological macromolecular assemblies, 2D crystals, and colloids allows the structural details of the specimen to be captured in their essentially native state to near atomic resolution. To read more, cilck here.

This article was published in Microscopy Today, March 2009, pp. 14-17. ©Microscopy Today 2009. All rights reserved.