Life Science Research

This is the place to expand your knowledge, research capabilities, and practical applications of microscopy in various scientific fields. Learn how to achieve precise visualization, image interpretation, and research advancements. Find insightful information on advanced microscopy, imaging techniques, sample preparation, and image analysis. Topics covered include cell biology, neuroscience, and cancer research with a focus on cutting-edge applications and innovations.

TEM micrographs of polymer sections. Left: Poly(styrene)-b-poly(isoprene). Right: Poly(styrene)-b-poly(methyl methacrylate).

Ultramicrotome Sectioning of Polymers for TEM Analysis

We demonstrate the capabilities of the UC Enuity ultramicrotome from Leica Microsystems for preparing ultrathin sections of polymer samples under both ambient and cryogenic conditions. By presenting…

Final Segmentation of organelles in Trichomonas species. Magenta – costa, light blue – hydrogenosomes, turquoise – ER, red – vacuoles, yellow – axostyle, green – Golgi apparatus. Sample courtesy of Isabelle Guerin-Bonne, Low Kay En, Electron Microscopy Unit, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore. Scale bar: 1 µm.

Volume EM and AI Image Analysis

The article outlines a detailed workflow for studying biological tissues in three dimensions using volume-scanning electron microscopy (volume-SEM) combined with AI-assisted image analysis. The focus…

Mastering Polymer Sectioning with Helmut Gnaegi

When it comes to ultramicrotomy, few names carry the weight of Helmut Gnaegi. As co-founder of Diatome, a global leader in diamond knife technology, Helmut has spent decades refining the art and…

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…

Essential Guide to Ultramicrotomy

When studying samples, to visualize their fine structure with nanometer scale resolution, most often electron microscopy is used. There are 2 types: scanning electron microscopy (SEM) which images the…

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…

Improve Your Ultramicrotomy Workflow with Automated Sectioning

Discover advanced digital ultramicrotomy tools for fast and accurate automated sectioning. Learn about autoalignment, and efficient sample trimming leveraging 3D µCT data. See application examples…

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.