3D Electron Microscopy of Complex Biological Systems
Session organisers: Dr Lucy Collinson and Dr Graham Knott
Thursday 3rd July from 14.15-16.15
This session aims to cover the current state-of-the-art in volume EM imaging applied to complex biological samples including neural circuits, circulatory systems and subcellular organelle networks. In recent years EM of biological samples has been transformed by various technologies capable of capturing images through significant volumes, and on a range of length scales.
Block face scanning microscopy, whereby an electron beam scans the face of a sample block mounted inside an SEM, has two methods for serially cutting through the sample. In Serial Block Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBF SEM) a slice of material is removed using an ultramicrotome mounted inside the SEM chamber; and in Focused Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscopy (FIB SEM) this is achieved with a beam of gallium ions. In both cases, the cutting and imaging process is automated and able to collect thousands of aligned and isotropic image series. These vast datasets are now driving the creation of different strategies for image analysis. Much of this development was borne out of neuroscienceq's need to map complex neural networks with adequate resolution to see individual neuronal connections. The field is now coming-of-age and finding wide application in life sciences.