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Software tools for automated transmission electron microscopy.
Martin Schorb1, Isabella Haberbosch2,3, Wim J H Hagen4
1Electron Microscopy Core Facility, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany. martin.schorb@embl.de.
Nature Methods
|May 16, 2019
Summary
Automated software tools enhance electron microscopy for structural and cellular biology. This enables high-throughput data collection through image analysis-guided acquisition and feedback microscopy.
Area of Science:
- Electron microscopy
- Cellular biology
- Structural biology
Background:
- Increasing demand for high-throughput data collection in electron microscopy.
- Need for automated acquisition methods in biological imaging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a software combination for automated data acquisition in transmission electron microscopy.
- To enable feedback microscopy guided by image analysis.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing SerialEM for microscope and detector control with flexible automation.
- Integrating Py-EM with SerialEM for specimen-specific image analysis pipelines.
- Implementing automated tasks at multiple positions for various acquisition schemes.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated dose reduction in cryo-electron microscopy experiments.
- Achieved fully automated acquisition of all cells in a plastic section.
- Enabled automated targeting on serial sections for 3D volume imaging across multiple grids.
Conclusions:
- The presented software tools facilitate automated, high-throughput data collection in electron microscopy.
- Image analysis-guided acquisition and feedback microscopy enhance efficiency and scope of biological imaging.
- The system is versatile for diverse applications including cryo-electron microscopy and 3D volume imaging.
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