Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 16, 2026
11:55
Cryo-Structured Illumination Microscopic Data Collection from Cryogenically Preserved Cells
Published on: May 28, 2021
Transforming cryo-lift-out one section at a time.
Gaia Perone1, Claire Overly Cottom1, Philipp Sebastian Erdmann1
1Human Technopole, Milan, Italy.
Current Opinion in Structural Biology
|July 14, 2026
Summary
Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) allows molecular-level cell imaging. Cryo-lift-out sample preparation is advancing in situ imaging of complex multicellular structures like organoids and tissues.
Area of Science:
- Cellular and Molecular Imaging
- Biotechnology and Nanotechnology
Background:
- Understanding cellular complexity requires in situ imaging techniques across scales.
- Cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET), enhanced by focused ion beam (FIB) milling, offers molecular resolution for cell visualization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review advances in cryo-lift-out for preparing multicellular specimens for cryo-ET.
- To discuss challenges and future perspectives for in situ imaging of complex biological samples.
Main Methods:
- Focused ion beam (FIB) milling for cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) sample preparation.
- Cryo-lift-out technique for accessing deep cellular regions within multicellular specimens.
Main Results:
- Cryo-lift-out enables cryo-ET analysis of complex multicellular samples like organoids and tissues.
- Recent methodological developments are improving the accessibility and resolution of in situ cellular imaging.
Conclusions:
- Cryo-lift-out is a critical technique for advancing in situ cryo-ET of complex biological systems.
- Continued development is essential for achieving more holistic, molecular-resolution imaging of cellular processes within their native environments.
