cryo-CLEM

The cryo-CLEM is a dedicated cryo-fluorescence microscope, designed to maintain cryo-conditions for specimen handling. It provides high resolution imaging to enable the user to target the regions of interest for the correlative process.

The Correlative Light and Electron Microscopy (CLEM) process includes the extra information provided by the fluorescence signal and guides the cryo-EM tilt series collection, making the data acquisition much more accurate and efficient.

cryo-CLEM is designed and optimised for the cryo-correlation workflow. It features a specially designed cryo-stage that goes with the optical microscope, an easy-to-use grid transfer system, as well as a special software that is easy to use. 

Features include:

• Cryo-stage - a built in cryo-stage provides exceptional mechanical stability, a sealed sample compartment minimises ice contamination, and temperature monitoring with automatic LN2 pumping ensures the safety of the sample.
   
• Grid transferring components - the grid transfer shuttle minimises ice contamination, keeps the temperature stable and makes grid handling an easy process.
   
• Fully automated acquisition - the grid mapping is fully automated at chosen location(s). It is capable of full-grid mapping that includes automatic lateral tiling, multi axial heights with auto-focusing, multi-colour channels, etc.
   
• Image processing - image projection, stitching and overlaying is performed automatically. The result can be exported into an EM software compatible format. The image post processing functions such as 3D deconvolution can further improve the resolution via computational processing.
   
• Optical component - specially designed high numerical aperture objective (NA = 0.9) with long working distance is optimised for cryogenic temperature imaging. The add on of a sCMOS camera insures the sensitivity to capture weak signal, as well large field of view.
   
• Imaging modes

• Transmission, to visualise ice thickness, cracks and crystalline ice
• Reflection mode to show the surface of the grid
• Fluorescence mode