SCSB Cryo-electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM) Laboratory

The laboratory hosts three modern microscopes that are equipped for (cryo-) electron microscopy and (cryo-) electron tomography with automated data collection incorporated. The microscopes are also outfitted with digital cameras for imaging. The Titan Krios and JEM 2200FS have direct electron detector (DDD) cameras; the latest development in cryo-EM for high-resolution imaging.

1. 300 kV Thermo-Fisher Titan Krios cryo-EM – a state of the art ultra-high-resolution microscope with post-column electron energy filter and field emission gun (FEG), which is the brightest electron source currently available. This fully automated instrument yields near- atomic resolution images of biological macromolecules and their complexes and is capable collecting data without user intervention.
2. 200 keV JEOL 2200FS – a high-resolution microscope with an in-column electron energy filter and a field emission gun (FEG). This instrument is in the W. M. Keck Center for virus imaging in BSL-3 containment and permits the safe imaging of highly infectious pathogens that cannot be studied in the open research area. This is the first cryo-EM facility in the US designed for high-resolution structural studies of wild type infectious agents. The microscope can be controlled remotely through a computer network and provides access for remote online users and largely extends our user base.
3. 200 keV JEOL 2100 – this microscope is available for imaging of non-pathogenic specimens and negatively stained samples and is also used for user training.