Services and equipment
Access our range of electron cryo-microscopy equipment and benefit from our various services tailored to your needs.
Our service
Depending on your project needs our technical specialists are ready to assist you with:
- cryo-sample preparation
- screening and optimisation
- image acquisition
- computational analysis
We also offer a full end-to-end service which includes detailed reports of experimental outcomes and findings.
Get in touch now to learn more and access our facility.
Remote access
Send us your samples via post and join your session remotely using TeamViewer remote desktop access software.
Training and workshops
Our personalised microscopy training modules are designed to accommodate diverse skill levels.
We also provide free-of-charge sample preparation workshops aimed at imparting hands-on experience and bolstering confidence in cryo-grid preparation workflow.
Equipment
Transmission electron microscopes
-
FEI Talos Arctica
Our FEI Talos Arctica is equipped with a 200 kV X-FEG, Ceta 16 M CCD detector, Gatan K2 DED, and Gatan GIF Quantum LS energy filter. The microscope is particularly well suited for high-throughput screening and high-resolution data collection. EPU and TOMO software automate single particle and tomography data acquisition, while Relion 4.0 on-the-fly processing gives live feedback on data quality. Aberration free image shift (AFIS) accelerates image acquisition at a rate that is up to four times faster.
-
FEI Tecnai 20
The Wolfson Bioimaging Facility houses an FEI Tecnai T20 equipped with a 200 kV LaB6 thermionic electron source and Eagle 2k CCD detector. It enables ambient temperature and cryo-electron microscopy of single particle or tomography samples to obtain preliminary data prior to more detailed analysis on higher specification TEMs.
-
FEI Tecnai 12
The FEI Tecnai T12 located in the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility and is equipped with a 120 kV tungsten thermionic cathode and Ceta 16 M CCD detector. It is operated at ambient temperatures and allows users to screen and acquire datasets of negative stained samples.
Plunge freezing devices
-
FEI Vitrobot
The Vitrobot is a semi-automated cryo-grid plunge-freezing device that offers precise control over critical parameters. Two blotting pads to either side of the specimen remove excess fluid by contacting the bottom edge of the cryo-grid at an angle with filter paper, and typically creates a gradient in ice thickness across the grid.
-
Leica EM GP
The Leica EM GP is located in the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility. It is a semi-automated cryo-grid plunge freezing device that blots excess fluid by contacting the front or back face of the cryo-grid with a filter paper. It offers control over a wide range of blotting parameters.
Glow discharge and carbon coater units
-
ELMO Glow Discharge System
The ELMOT Glow Discharge System provides users with fine controls to pretreat TEM support films and change surface properties such as hydrophilicity and charge.
Access the facility
Ask us how we can assist you with your next research project.
Bristol – a hub for electron microscopy
Belonging to a network of electron microscopy facilities at the University of Bristol, the GW4 Cryo-EM Facility works in close partnership with the Wolfson Bioimaging Facility.