Cellular electron tomography: cryoFIB challenges and direction

 

Seminar

Cellular electron tomography: cryoFIB challenges and direction

James Gilchrist

Cellular electron tomography: cryoFIB challenges and direction Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and cryo-focussed ion beam (cryo-FIB) milling are powerful techniques that enable the study of complex biological systems at resolutions up to the molecular level. The resultant data yields 3D visualisation of cellular components in their close-to-native environments, giving unparalleled insight into how biological systems work in health and disease. This talk will explore the current state of cryo-ET and cryo-FIB for in situ biology, with examples from the literature and on-going research at the electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC). Emphasis will be given to sample preparation, optimal data collection strategies, and remaining challenges. In addition, we will discuss future directions in this burgeoning field, such as correlated imaging modalities and the potential use of cryo-FIB/ET in tissue biopsy analysis.