Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Cryo-electron Microscopy01:28

Cryo-electron Microscopy

Conventional electron microscopy (EM) involves dehydration, fixation, and staining of biological samples, which distorts the native state of biological molecules and results in several artifacts. Also, the high-energy electron beam damages the sample and makes it difficult to obtain high-resolution images. These issues can be addressed using cryo-EM, which uses frozen samples and gentler electron beams. The technique was developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson, for...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Pulsed-electron illumination does not reduce beam damage for imaging biological macromolecules.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Ultrastructural diversity and subcellular organization of nigral Lewy pathology in Parkinson's disease.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Structural basis for a filamentous morpheein model of human cystathionine beta-synthase.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Temperature-dependent ligand relocation reveals plasticity of TRPM4 inhibition.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Myelin damage in donor skin differentiates between synucleinopathies.

NPJ Parkinson's disease·2026
Same author

Structure of the MIWI endoribonuclease bound to pachytene piRNAs from mouse testes.

Cell reports·2026
Same journal

Chlorinated VSLSs Surpass HCFCs in CFC-11-Equivalent Emissions for Ozone Layer Depletion in China.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Author Correction: Charge transfer in triphenylamine-tetrazine covalent organic frameworks for solar-driven hydrogen peroxide production.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Vegetation browning patterns under compound soil and atmospheric dryness in northern permafrost ecosystems.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Voltage imaging of CA1 pyramidal cells and SST+ interneurons reveals stability and plasticity mechanisms of spatial firing.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Radical-omics reveals the hydrogen-abstraction pathway of isoprene oxidation.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

Toughening elastomer via sequentially activated multi-pathway energy dissipation.

Nature communications·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Cryo-Electron Microscopic Grid Preparation for Time-Resolved Studies using a Novel Robotic System, Spotiton
08:59

Cryo-Electron Microscopic Grid Preparation for Time-Resolved Studies using a Novel Robotic System, Spotiton

Published on: February 25, 2021

CryoWriter: a robotic solution for improved Cryo-EM grid preparation.

Chinmaya Kv1,2, Babatunde Ekundayo1,2, Marta Di Fabrizio1,2,3,4

  • 1Laboratory of Biological Electron Microscopy, Institute of Physics, School of Basic Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland.

Nature Communications
|May 30, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The cryoWriter robot automates cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) grid preparation using microfluidics, overcoming a key bottleneck. This blotting-free method yields high-quality grids for near-atomic resolution structures and novel on-grid experiments.

More Related Videos

Miniaturized Sample Preparation for Transmission Electron Microscopy
09:04

Miniaturized Sample Preparation for Transmission Electron Microscopy

Published on: July 27, 2018

Fast Grid Preparation for Time-Resolved Cryo-Electron Microscopy
10:05

Fast Grid Preparation for Time-Resolved Cryo-Electron Microscopy

Published on: November 6, 2021

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 1, 2026

Cryo-Electron Microscopic Grid Preparation for Time-Resolved Studies using a Novel Robotic System, Spotiton
08:59

Cryo-Electron Microscopic Grid Preparation for Time-Resolved Studies using a Novel Robotic System, Spotiton

Published on: February 25, 2021

Miniaturized Sample Preparation for Transmission Electron Microscopy
09:04

Miniaturized Sample Preparation for Transmission Electron Microscopy

Published on: July 27, 2018

Fast Grid Preparation for Time-Resolved Cryo-Electron Microscopy
10:05

Fast Grid Preparation for Time-Resolved Cryo-Electron Microscopy

Published on: November 6, 2021

Area of Science:

  • Structural Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Microscopy Techniques

Background:

  • Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is crucial for determining molecular structures.
  • Sample grid preparation is a significant bottleneck in cryo-EM workflows.
  • Conventional blotting methods can be inconsistent and require larger sample volumes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the cryoWriter, a novel microfluidic robot for automated cryo-EM grid preparation.
  • To assess the performance of blotting-free, capillary-writing techniques for cryo-EM sample deposition.
  • To explore advanced deposition modes for enhanced particle density and on-grid biochemical assays.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized the cryoWriter robot for microfluidic, capillary-writing of nanoliter sample volumes onto EM grids.
  • Employed spiral and line deposition patterns in a controlled environment.
  • Tested with various biological specimens including TMV, apoferritin, TRPM4, and NrS-1 DNA polymerase.

Main Results:

  • Achieved high-quality cryo-EM grids with minimal sample volumes.
  • Obtained near-atomic resolution reconstructions for multiple test specimens.
  • Demonstrated programmable deposition for increased particle density and on-grid mixing for time-resolved studies.
  • Observed reduced orientation bias in reconstructions from cryoWriter grids compared to conventional blotting.

Conclusions:

  • The cryoWriter offers a versatile and reproducible platform for low-volume cryo-EM grid preparation.
  • Blotting-free microfluidic approach overcomes key limitations of traditional methods.
  • Enables advanced on-grid biochemical workflows and improved structural determination.