A container for processing small volumes of cell suspensions for critical point drying

Area of Science:

• Cell biology
• Microscopy techniques

Background:

• Lymphocyte preparation for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) often involves attachment to surfaces like glass or filters.
• This attachment process can lead to artifacts in the surface topography of the lymphocytes, potentially compromising imaging accuracy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an improved method for preparing small volumes of cell suspensions, specifically lymphocytes, for SEM.
• To minimize the introduction of surface topography artifacts during sample preparation.

Main Methods:

• Adaptation of an embedding capsule to create a specialized container.
• Utilizing this container for the preparation of small cell suspensions.

Main Results:

• The adapted container facilitates the handling of cell suspensions.
• This method reduces or eliminates the surface artifacts typically introduced by direct attachment to glass or filters.

Conclusions:

• The modified embedding capsule offers a superior method for lymphocyte preparation for SEM.
• This technique enhances the reliability of surface topography analysis in electron microscopy studies.