The evolution of fluorescence-guided lamella milling: From stand-alone to tri-coincident systems
Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) offers unprecedented, high-resolution insights into the molecular ultrastructure of cells. However, locating specific targets and preparing the perfect electron-transparent lamella remains a significant bottleneck. Traditionally, researchers had to rely on a stand-alone fluorescence microscope (FM) to identify targets before physically transferring the delicate grid to the FIB-SEM. This transfer is inherently risky, […]
5 Key Challenges in Cryo-FIB Targeting — and How to Overcome Them
Achieving high-accuracy targeting in cryo-focused ion beam (cryo-FIB) workflows is essential for generating high-quality lamellae for cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). But accuracy doesn’t come easy: successful targeting requires more than a high-resolution image. At every stage in the lamella creation workflow — from identifying the region of interest (ROI) to the final milling step — multiple […]
See More with Less: Discover the Power of METEOR 2.0
We’re excited to unveil METEOR 2.0, the next evolution of our integrated cryo-fluorescence microscope (cryo-FM) designed to simplify and accelerate your cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) workflow. Building on the proven foundation of METEOR 1.0, the new system offers faster targeting, greater sensitivity, and enhanced ease of use, allowing researchers to confidently identify and target regions of interest—without added contamination risk or […]
What is the difference between cryo-EM and cryo-ET?
Advancements in technology increased the popularity of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) techniques such as cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and single-particle analysis (SPA). For those new to the field, this blog post explains the difference between cryo-EM and cryo-ET. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a general term for performing electron microscopy at cryogenic temperatures. When imaging with an electron microscope, […]
Subtomogram averaging in the cryo-ET workflow
Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) allows the 3D visualization of a small volume of a vitreous biological sample with nanometer resolution. Protein complexes that reside in the tomogram can be studied in even greater detail with subtomogram averaging. Subtomogram averaging is the process of aligning multiple 3D reconstructions of identical protein complexes and averaging them. This results […]
