Jan De Bock , Dr.

Jan De Bock

Application Manager (Life Science Research), Leica Microsystems CMS GmbH.

Jan has worked as a microscope professional in different roles since 2003. He joined Leica Microsystems in 2011 as a product specialist for confocal microscopy. In 2017, he became a member of the application management team where he is also responsible for correlative workflows, involving microscope systems under cryogenic conditions and sample preparation equipment. Jan studied biology and earned his PhD in the field of olfactory research.

Mouse hippocampus brain slice on a grid after HPF using the “Waffle Method”.

The “Waffle Method”: High-Pressure Freeze Complex Samples

This article describes the advantages of a special high pressure freezing method, the so-called “Waffle Method”. Learn how the “Waffle Method” uses EM grids as spacers for high-pressure freezing,…
C. elegans embedded in Lowicryl® HM20; pharynx showing red fluorescence (mCherry). The overview shows a front view onto the resin capsule formed by the bottom of a flow-through chamber of the EM AFS2. The capsule was pretrimmed manually. The blockface was trimmed automatically using the AutoTrim function of UC Enuity guided by fluorescence of the worm. Edge length of both squares in relation to the images is 250 µm.

How Fluorescence Guides Sectioning of Resin-embedded EM Samples

Electron microscopes, including transmission electron microscopes (TEM) and scanning electron microscopes (SEM), are widely utilized to gain detailed structural information about biological samples or…
C. elegans nematode embedded in Epon epoxy resin, contrasted with osmium tetroxide. The resin block was pretrimmed by hand. Scale bar: 500 µm.

How to Save Time and Samples by Automated Ultramicrotomy

This article describes how 3D micro-CT data of a resin-embedded electron microscopy sample can be used to trim the specimen down to a defined target plane prior to sectioning. The interactive and…
Block-face created by automatic trimming under fluorescence. Mammalian cells of interest, stained with CellTrackerTM Green are visualized within the block-face using the UC Enuity equipped with the stereo microscope M205 FA. In the background a carbon finder grid in black is visible. All samples in the article are created by Felix Gaedke, PhD, CECAD, Cologne, Germany.

How to Automatically Obtain Fluorescent Cells of Interest in a Block-face

Block-face created by automatic trimming under fluorescence. Mammalian cells of interest, stained with CellTrackerTM Green are visualized within the block-face using the UC Enuity equipped with the…
Camera image during auto alignment. The feedback lines indicate if the correct edges in the image are detected. Green: Vertical center line; Magenta: Upper edge of the light gap; White: Lower edge of the light gap (not visible here, falling together with red line); Red: Knife edge; Blue: Left and right edge of the block face being automatically detected.

Automatic Alignment of Sample and Knife for High Sectioning Quality

Automatic alignment of sample and knife on the ultramicrotome UC Enuity, enabling even untrained users to create ultrathin sections with reduced risk of losing precious sections.
Projection of a confocal z-stack. Sum159 cells, human breast cancer cells kindly provided by Ievgeniia Zagoriy, Mahamid Group, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany. Blue–Hoechst - indicates nuclei, Green–MitoTracker mitochondria, and red–Bodipy - lipid droplets

New Imaging Tools for Cryo-Light Microscopy

New cryo-light microscopy techniques like LIGHTNING and TauSense fluorescence lifetime-based tools reveal structures for cryo-electron microscopy.
Correlation of markers in the LM and the FIB image.

How to Target Fluorescent Structures in 3D for Cryo-FIB Milling

This article describes the major steps of the cryo-electron tomography workflow including super-resolution cryo-confocal microscopy. We describe how subcellular structures can be precisely located in…
HeLa Kyoto cells (HKF1, H2B-mCherry, alpha Tubulin, mEGFP). Left image: Maximum projection of a z-stack prior to ICC and LVCC. Right image: Maximum projection of a mosaic z-stack after ICC and LVCC.

How to Improve Live Cell Imaging with Coral Life

For live-cell CLEM applications, light microscopy imaging is a critical step for identifying the right cell in the right state at the right time. In this article, Leica experts share their insights on…
Cryo FIB lamella - Overlay of SEM and confocal fluorescence image. Target structure in yeast cells (nuclear pore proteine Nup159-Atg8-split Venus, red) marked by an arrow. Scale bar: 5 µm. Alegretti et al., Nature 586, 796-800 (2020).

Targeting Active Recycling Nuclear Pore Complexes using Cryo Confocal Microscopy

In this article, how cryo light microscopy and, in particular cryo confocal microscopy, is used to improve the reliability of cryo EM workflows is described. The quality of the EM grids and samples is…
Scheme of a 2D mosaic scan. Drosophila melanogaster (eye section)

Mosaic Images

Confocal laser scanning microscopes are widely used to create highly resolved 3D images of cells, subcellular structures and even single molecules. Still, an increasing number of scientists are…
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