Services
The Cryo EM Facility supports the full cryo-EM workflow, from specimen to structure. Services can be requested one at a time or as a complete pipeline, either facility-operated or user-operated after training. Please inquire with the Facility Director for external usage rates.
Consultation & Experimental Design
- Project feasibility, sample-quality assessment, and workflow planning
- Guidance on buffer, concentration, grid type, and freezing strategy
Specimen (Grid) Preparation
- Glow-discharge grid treatment (PELCO easiGlow) to render grids hydrophilic
- Automated, programmable vitrification with VitriFlex (blot-and-plunge)
- Time-resolved and mixing preparations (pre-mixing, on-grid mixing, and acoustic spray delivery)
- Manual plunge-freezing and negative-stain preparation on request
Cryo-Screening & Data Collection (Tundra Cryo-TEM, 100 kV)
- Grid-quality screening and ice/particle assessment
- Automated single-particle data collection for structure determination
- Short screening sessions through full data sets (see Additional Resources for throughput)
Data Management & Processing Support
- Data transfer/handoff and storage during the session
- Guidance on single-particle processing (e.g., CryoSPARC / RELION) [as offered]
Training & Workshops
- Hands-on training for user-operated grid preparation and screening
- Customized training on request and periodic group workshops
VitriFlex: Automated Cryo-EM Grid Preparation System
An open-source, modular robotic platform for reproducible grid preparation
VitriFlex automates cryo-EM specimen preparation using a precision SCARA robot and a 3D-printed sample-preparation chamber. Grid handling, sample application, blotting, and plunge-freezing all run under programmable, software-controlled operation. It supports conventional blot-and-plunge as well as time-resolved workflows, including pre-mixing and on-grid mixing with acoustic (non-contact) spray delivery. VitriFlex works with standard grids (UltrAuFoil, Quantifoil, HexAuFoil, gold-coated) and Vitrobot ethane cups, and it logs every freezing parameter for reproducibility. It has been used to reach high-resolution reconstructions, including apoferritin at 1.9 Å and protein-protein complexes in the 2.9 to 3.2 Å range. It is available for both routine single-particle and time-resolved sample preparation.
| Internal | |
| Unassisted | TBA |
| Assisted | TBA |
| Training Rate | $125/hour |
PELCO easiGlow: Glow-Discharge (Plasma) Cleaning System
Surface treatment of EM grids prior to sample application
The PELCO easiGlow is a compact glow-discharge system used to clean EM grids and make their surfaces hydrophilic before sample application. Glow discharge removes residual contaminants and adds a uniform surface charge, which helps aqueous samples spread evenly and form thin, consistent vitreous ice for reproducible cryo-EM and negative-stain grids. Discharge current, duration, and atmosphere are programmable, so treatments are repeatable and recipe-based. It works with carbon, gold, and holey-film grids.
| Internal | |
| Unassisted | TBA |
| Assisted | TBA |
| Training Rate | $125/hour |
Tundra Cryo-TEM: 100 kV Cryo Transmission Electron Microscope
The Tundra Cryo-TEM (Thermo Scientific) is a dedicated 100 kV cryo-transmission electron microscope for single-particle screening and structure determination. It uses a high-brightness field-emission gun (X-FEG) with an automated single-particle workflow and a Falcon C Direct Electron Detector (4k x 4k, EER) for high-contrast imaging at 100 kV. It routinely reaches 4 to 5 Å resolution, and better than 4 Å on favorable or symmetric samples, at about 250 to 300 images per hour. Data sets range from about 1,500 images for a short screening session to 10,000 images for asymmetric proteins. It is used for grid-quality screening and single-particle data collection. Full-service data collection is available, with supervised user operation after training; microscopy is led by Dr. Venkata Dandey.
| Internal | |
| Unassisted | $25/hour |
| Assisted | $150/hour |
| Training Rate | $125/hour |