Multibeam Array Tomography
High Throughput of Large Volumes of Ultrastructural Data
Schematic Representation of a Typical Workflow
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A resin-embedded sample is cut into an array of serial sections, each with a section thickness of typically 30 – 70 nm, and attached to a sample carrier in the order they were cut.
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Each serial section is imaged in the multi-beam scanning electron microscope (ZEISS MultiSEM).
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The acquired EM images are processed and digitally aligned into a 3D data set. Cell compartments can be identified and segmented.
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The segmented 3D data set can be visualized, investigated, and statistically analyzed.
New Discoveries from the Ultrastructure of Life Virtual Seminar Series | January – June 2024
In a series of six webinars, explore the technological underpinnings of Volume EM imaging and its growing number of application areas in neurobiology, cancer research, developmental biology, plant science, and more.
Learn about vEM-specific sample preparation and technologies (array tomography, serial block-face SEM, and FIB-SEM), advanced image processing, data analysis, and result visualization capabilities of workflow-oriented software solutions.
Application Examples
Understanding Neuronal Connectivity of Brain Tissue on a Larger Scale
Assembled mosaic of a square millimeter captured at 4 nm pixel size in 6.5 minutes from a 30 nm thick brain slice, prepared with a high-contrast staining protocol and cut with an ATUMtome, an ultramicrotome that collects sections on a tape.
Individual hexagonal multibeam fields of view (mFoV) put together using an exemplary set of seven mFoV taken from the previous data set.
Example of a single mFoV, consisting of 61 individual image tiles acquired with 61 electron beams in parallel, covering more than 100 µm from left to right, typically acquired in just seconds.