Electron tomography

Method Specification

Tomography is a method where multiple images of a unique object are taken at a range of angular views. These images are combined and from them a 3D reconstruction is calculated and refined.

TEM and STEM imaging can be used for tomography, each with specific strengths and limitations. Tomography-capable microscopes include the Tecnai F20, the Talos Arctica, the Talos F200X and the Titan Krios instruments. Cryogenically preserved samples can be directly imaged if they are thin enough, or they can be milled using the Zeiss CrossBeam cryo-FIB-SEM to produce lamellae of appropriate thickness. 

Objects within the tomographic volumes can be selected and combined for sub-tomogram averaging to reveal higher resolution features of macromolecules found in the cellular context.