Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscopy (SBF-SEM or SBEM) focused interest group updates
Organisers: Flavia Moreira-Leite

The volume EM technique of SBF-SEM or SBEM allows 3D imaging of relatively large areas of tissue with electron microscopy resolution. In this technique, a resin block containing sample is placed inside a special SEM chamber designed for ultramicrotomy of the block face inside the microscope. In this chamber, the block face can undergo hundreds to thousands of cycles of imaging and sectioning, to generate a large series high resolution SEM images of the same area. These images are then assembled into an aligned 3D volume, which can be used for the 3D reconstruction of whole cells and organelles.

With this Focus Interest Group (FIG) we would like to bring together all those interested in SBF-SEM, to discuss, share knowledge and expertise, optimize workflows, build on the advantages of the SBF-SEM techniques, and explore novel fields of application.

We welcome interested parties from academia, research, core facilities and industry.
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Activity:

Previous Meetings:

    -1st December 2023

The SBF FIG had a productive first meeting, when we explained the purpose of the group and shared some of the results of the initial survey. We also discussed the format of future meetings and interactions, and members expressed a preference for Slack as a platform for discussions outside online meetings.

In the second half of the meeting, we did a troubleshooting session, where 4 'cases' were discussed and different members came up with interesting helpful suggestions. In one case, someone pointed out the exact button to press on the capture software to resolve the issue! The troubleshooting session was so successful that a member asked if we could have a little troubleshooting at every meeting. A few members volunteered to give remote sessions or help find speakers for protocol talks.

   -Most Recent Meetings:

The group had its second meeting on the 5th February 2024, when Davis Laundon gave a beautiful talk on the correlative multi-scale imaging of placenta by microCT and SBF-SEM. The talk generated a long discussion, but we still had time for a little troubleshooting of SBF-SEM issues at the end.
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SBF-SEM Member's Profile: