About the Electron Microscopy Research Core

Electron Microscope Imaging Core Facility

About the Electron Microscope Research Core

As the Technical Director of the EM Research Core, Karen L. de Mesy Bentley, M.S. has had over 28 years of experience in electron microscopy, diagnostic ultrastructural pathology, and medical resident teaching. She has co-authored many research publications, served as a research consultant, and taught at the graduate level. The goal of the facility is to provide research support in Electron Microscopy for University of Rochester investigators at the lowest possible fee.

The facility uses a twelve year old Hitachi 7100 Transmission Electron Microscope, with a newly designed electronic optical lens system that obtains sharper images. It has an attached digital MegaView III camera and a computer imaging system (acquired in 2004) that permits easy viewing and image capture of specimens during the live EM examination. The accompanying software package, “AnalySIS”, allows the morphometric analysis (measurement) of any subcellular structure or organelle. This digital image capture and processing system was made possible by a financial gift from the Friends of Strong volounteer organization.

Specimens requiring Scanning Electron Microscopy can also be done.

In addition to processing samples for routine Transmission Electron Microscopy examination, the Core also uses specialized techniques such as Immunoelectron Microscopy. The EM Core can prepare research specimens for pre-embedding immuno-labeling (using DAB as a chromagen) and/or post-embedding Lowicryl K4M embedded samples using gold tagged secondaries. Also available is the large block “pop-off” technique which can be used on cultured cells or large tissue embedded samples to search for rare ("needle-in-the-haystack type") cells as well as negative staining EM examination of isolated viral or VLP particles. See techniques for details.