Bond making and breaking imaged in action
Ultrafast camera takes 1 trillion frames per second
Ultrafast camera takes 1 trillion frames per second
A pulse of laser light travels through a crystal in slow motion, as captured by a new ultrafast photography technology. [Caltech]
Largest, high-resolution map of brain revealed
Largest, high-resolution map of brain revealed
Meeting Report - CMG 31
Meeting Report - CMG 31
Mid-November in the UK Cryo microscopy community is synonymous with the annual Cryo Microscopy Group (CMG) meeting. November 2019 was no different and saw a diverse line up of speakers share their latest achievements at the University of Nottingham with a receptive and enthustic audience.
The first speaker Thomas Braun from the University of Basel presented his work on revolutionary cryo-EM grid preparation which uses nanolitre deposition onto EM grids for the purpose of preparing thin films of solutions. The use of a microcapilary technology for the deposition and microfluidics for solution mixing and sample extraction combine to give a very powerful sample preparation technique. Thomas presented this using the title single-cell proteomics in which he show it was possible to extract cellular contents and deposit this onto a TEM grid with a view to analysing the proteins by cryo-TEM and single particle analysis.
Following on from Braun, Nicole Hondow from the LEMAS centre at the University of Leeds, changed things up with a wonderful overview of her work using cryo techniques for materials systems characterisations. Nicole explained that she’d started using Cryo-TEM to analyse nanoparticle solutions, but then explored Cryo-STEM, EDX and EELS and was able to use traditional microanalysis techniques on these beam sensitive and hydrated systems. This is something that I’ve noticed happening more and more as the benefits of cryo-EM are fully realised by materials scientists. She also reported on some Cryo-FIB analyses that the LEMAS team had been working on with colleagues in chemical engineering. Using the FIB they’d be able to analyse fully hydrated colloidal dispersions in 3 dimensions, resulting in impressive renderings that added insight to these structures.
The CMG always has wonderful support from trade partners and this meeting was no exception, both from microscope manufacturers, cryo-stage manufacturers and accessories companies. As part of the day the organising committee has the technobyte session, a platform for the vendors to update the attendees on their latest hardware/software.
A feature of the CMG for some time has been a focus on the student / early career or those new to cryomicroscopy. Traditional poster presentations have given way to the Freeze Frames competition and this year two entrants braved the podium to show two slides of their work and explain it in two minutes. Both entrants kept to the slide and time limits (this doesn’t happen every year) and Zubair Nizamudeen was awarded first place with his work on correlating light, electron microscopy and SIMS data with Rachael Xerri as runner-up, who showed off her impressive cryo-TEM of internally complex phases of drug loaded particles.
The Freeze Frames competition winner Zubair Nizamudeen (left) and runner-up Rachael Xerri (Centre left) with members of the committee.
After the generously long lunch break, which allowed may discussions with the vendors and speakers alike, the delegates returned to the presentations for more science and were treated to a ‘how to’ in high pressure freezing (HPF) by Xavier Heiligenstein, who summarised his long standing work in the areas of HPF and attempts to perform correlative microscopy that were now bearing fruit. Heiligenstein described his attempts to freeze quicker in order to capture events happing in cells as well as the efforts to which he had gone to freeze thicker samples. Now having left Institute Curie and working for CryoCapCell as its CSO he predicted a bright and less complex future for the field of correlative cryo-microscopy.
Last up on the list of Speakers was David Scurr who sought to educate and amuse with his title of ‘Sub-zero SIMS’. For those who aren’t familiar, SIMS is secondary ion mass spectrometry, a well-established surface characterisation technique, but David’s system isn’t any old SIMS - it has a couple of tricks up its sleeve. These tricks come in the form of an Orbitrap and a fully functional Cryo-stage which makes it a cryo-OrbiSIMS! This combination of high spatial resolution and high mass resolution at low temperatures (native state if the sample is correctly prepared) results in Scurr having investigated samples such as cells, bacteria and skin, in which he can investigate the ion fragments from those samples and comment on their chemistry. This can be done in three dimensions as the ion beams of the system allow 3D profiling, meaning this is an incredibly powerful technique with huge-potential.
The meeting closed on schedule and the meeting chair thanked local organisers and helpers, before wishing all attendees a safe trip home. The 32nd CMG will take place in November 2020 with the venue to be confirmed later this year.
Chris Parmenter, Editor in Chief