A new multi-user microscopy department, opened in November 2002 at Imperial College, has chosen Leica to provide a full range of specialist specimen preparation equipment
A new multi-user microscopy department, opened in November 2002 at Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, has chosen Leica Microsystems to provide a full range of specialist specimen preparation equipment.
The Henry Wellcome Imaging Suite is part of a recent refurbishment funded by the Joint Infrastructure Fund and is in the closing stages of building up its equipment base for wide field, confocal and electron microscopy.
Mike Hollinshead, head of microscopy, explained: "We come under the wing of the virology department and, as such, much of our work covers cell biology and pathogen morphogenesis and the involvement of cellular organelles in how viruses replicate inside cells.
I have used Leica specimen preparation equipment since 1986 and, in my experience, the Leica Ultracut ultramicrotomes are still the best instruments available for this type of work".
"The Leica EM Trim allows us to trim resin embedded samples very quickly and has increased our work capacity.
It is especially useful for quickly and easily removing glass coverslips from embedded samples without the need for toxic hydrofluoric acid.
We start by trimming round the glass and the sample with the ultratrim creating microfissures.
Water is added and absorbed by capillary action and, when the sample is frozen quickly with liquid nitrogen, the expansion of the water pushes the glass away from the sample.
Trimming by hand at the microtome is more laborious and we certainly couldn't remove the glass coverslips manually in this way.
In just a few minutes with this instrument we go from having a crude sample embedded in a rough block in epoxy resin to cutting on the ultramicrotome".
"The Leica EM KMR2 glass knifemaker is also an improvement on other models I have seen.
It is very simple to use and is essential for training new users to cut ultra thin cryosections.
We don't want to let them loose on a diamond knife which can cost anything up to £2500 because with one mistake it's damaged.
So we teach people how to make - and break - glass knives first".
