Infrastructure

CryoEM instrumentation

We have access to three Titan Krios cryo-electron microscopes, equipped with imaging filters, direct electron detectors and phaseplates.

Vitrification is performed using plunge freezers (Vitrobots) and we have access to high-pressure freezers.

For cryoFIB milling, we use a Zeiss Crossbeam 550, Leica VCT500 cryoshuttle and Leica ACE600 sputter coater. We also have access to a ThermoFisher Helios dual beam instrument with a Leica VCT100 shuttle, Leica cryo-stage, and BalTec BAF060.

For cryo-light microscopy, we use a Zeiss LSM900 Airyscan2 confocal microscope equipped with Linkam cryo-stage.

Micropatterning of cryoEM grids is done on a Leica THUNDER imager equipped with the Alveole PRIMO system.

cryoFIB — Cryo-focused ion beam instrument (Zeiss Crossbeam 550)

TitanKrios — Jingwei loading the Titan Krios (Photo: Marco Blessano/NOMIS Foundation)

Wetlab and computational resources

The lab comprises a biosafety wetlab (level 2), a eukaryotic cell culture lab, a cryo-sample preparation lab, and office space. For EM data processing, the lab has installed local workstations, a high-performance server for computing, and a file server.

Platforms and Hubs

Lab members have access to state-of-the-art imaging instrumentation (LM and EM) at the ETH platform ScopeM.

The external page Functional Genomics Center Zürich offers a variety of services including mass spectrometry and sequencing.

We interact closely with Daniel Boehringer and his team from the CryoEM Knowledge Hub.