Volume Electron Microscopy

What is volume electron microscopy?

Understanding the function of intracellular organelles, compartments, and other structures often requires visualization and quantification of their organization and interactions in 3D space. The emerging field of volume electron microscopy, also called volume EM or vEM and named one of Nature’s Technologies to Watch in 2023, refers to a variety of imaging approaches and processing techniques that use electron microscopy to explore below the surface of cellular ultrastructure, tissue, and small model organisms in 3D. These approaches can visualize volumes from microns to millimeters down to nanometer resolutions, and even in near-native state under cryogenic conditions.

  

Thermo Fisher Scientific offers a comprehensive range of vEM solutions, including serial block-face imaging, plasma FIB-SEM, array tomography, TEM tomography and integrated solutions for correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM).

Volume electron microscopy methods

Plasma focused ion beam SEM

Versatile, high-throughput FIB-SEM imaging for large-volume and 3D analysis at room temperature or under cryo conditions. Image large areas with Spin Mill Method for planar milling up to 1 mm and benefit from AI-driven workflows to increase throughput.

Representative plasma focused ion beam SEM data

Serial block-face imaging

A complete in situ microtome sectioning workflow. Excellent Z-resolution when combined with multi-energy deconvolution scanning electron microscopy (MED-SEM). The automation and ease-of-use increases your productivity, granting isotropic resolution for your large volume samples.

Serial block-face imaging data from a zebrafish embryo head.

Array tomography

Turn any Thermo Scientific SEM into a volume EM microscope with the addition of automated array tomography.

Representative array tomography data.

TEM tomography

Hardware and software for the intuitive and automated collection of tilt series, tomogram reconstruction, and segmentation to reveal the 3D shape and organization of imaged intracellular structures in the tomogram.

Representative TEM tomography data of mouse live tissue section.

Integrative fluorescence light microscopy for correlative imaging

The Thermo Scientific iFLM Correlative System is integrated inside the high-vacuum chamber, allowing you to combine fluorescence imaging and electron imaging for correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) at room temperature or under cryo conditions. The system includes connectivity to our AutoTEM milling software for easy targeting of regions of interest.

Representative data illustrating fluorescence imaging combined with electron microscopy (CLEM)

Auto Slice & View Software for FIB tomography

Thermo Scientific Auto Slice & View 5 Software allows for automated acquisition of high-resolution 3D images and analytical maps. It acquires data by milling serial sections and then imaging each slice of a user-defined region of interest of the sample. 

3D reconstruction of mouse brain tissue using Thermo Scientific Auto Slice & View Software

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.