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US 2014/0360286 A1Published application
Apparatus and Method for Producing Specimens for Electron Microscopy
AssigneesThe Scripps Research Institute, Engineering Arts LLC
InventorsBridget Carragher, Clinton S. Potter, Tilak Jain, Peter Kahn, Peter Wiktor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention provides methods and devices for preparing frozen vitrified samples for transmission electron microscopy. By reducing the volume of sample from microliter scale to picoliter scale, the requirement for blotting of excess fluid is minimized or eliminated.
Claims19
A system for preparing an electron microscopy sample on an EM sample grid, comprising:
- a. a plunger assembly comprising a shaft operably connected to a shaft drive assembly, a triggering mechanism, and a holder for reversibly receiving an EM sample grid at a first end of the shaft, the shaft drive assembly and triggering mechanism configured to (i) position the EM sample grid at a first position prior to a trigger event, and (ii) displace the shaft in a first direction at a predetermined rate and position the EM sample grid at a second position following a trigger event;
- b. a fluid dispenser configured to dispense fluid from one or more dispensing elements onto one or more independently addressable subregions of the EM sample grid in the first position or between the first and second positions;
- c. a sample reservoir operably linked to the drop dispenser;
- and
- d. a cryogen reservoir configured to position a cryogenic liquid at the second position.
2 more elements
A method for preparing an electron microscopy sample on an EM sample grid, comprising:
- a. positioning the EM sample grid on a plunger assembly, the plunger assembly comprising a shaft operably connected to a shaft drive assembly, a triggering mechanism, and a holder for reversibly receiving the EM sample grid at a first end of the shaft, the shaft drive assembly and triggering mechanism configured to (i) position the EM sample grid at a first position prior to a trigger event, and (ii) displace the shaft in a first direction at a predetermined rate and position the EM sample grid at a second position following a trigger event;
- b. with the EM sample grid in the first position or between the first and second positions, dispensing one or more sample volumes onto one or more independently addressable subregions of the EM sample grid using a fluid dispenser configured to dispense fluid from one or more dispensing elements;
- c. activating the triggering mechanism to displace the shaft to the second position, wherein the EM sample grid is immersed into a cryogenic liquid contained within a cryogen reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.