Southampton Imaging held the first ever “UK 3View User Group Meeting” on Thursday 26th & Friday 27th May at the Heartbeat Centre, Southampton General Hospital.
There are just twelve 3View system in the UK and Southampton ( Southampton Imaging and Biomedical Imaging Unit) held a meeting to help users get the best out of the 3View system. The meeting included presentations, tips and tricks and feedback from the manufacturer – Gatan, who kindly sponsored the meeting.
The Gatan 3View is mounted inside a scanning electron microscope and is capable of producing 3D data sets of biological and other specimens at subcellular resolution. The microscope in the Biomedical Imaging Unit was bought as part of a 3D imaging package funded by the MRC Regenerative Medicine Initiative in 2014. The award (£1.2m) funded three microsocpes – the Gatan 3View, LA Vision light sheet microscope (both sited in the Biomedical Imaging Unit) and the Xradia XRM-410 µCT (based in our sister unit µ-VIS in the Faculty of Engineering).
Gatan 3-view microscope
Serial sectioning and block face imaging by field emission scanning electron microscopy at sub-cellular resolution producing 3D structural information. The Gatan 3-view allows automated acquisition of 3D ultrastructure by sequentially imaging a freshly cut, resin embedded block face with images acquired from the block-face (not the sections) and as such the data sets are in exact registration allowing for post 3D processing, rendering and analysis. Excellent spatial resolution of 15 nm or better can be achieved (Fig), using standard high contrast EM protocols, allowing sub-cellular structures to be clearly identified’. Moreover, the 3D image sets are directly comparable to standard TEM images making interpretation straightforward. This instrument will image tissue, cell and sub-cellular architecture in 3D to identify changes in cell morphology, differentiation and health in response to changing matrix chemistry and topography. A cell’s response to nanotopography, such as its complement of microspikes and filopodia and the number and position of focal adhesion points can be readily imaged.
Figure Gatan 3-view data sets of human skin prepared in Southampton. A: Single image from 238 frame 3D data set showing the epidermis (e) & dermis (d). B: Single image from 375 frame medium power 3D data set showing the epidermis sitting on the basal lamina (bl) & dermis containing a fibroblast (f arrows indicate mitochondria in the fibroblast.Scale bars = 10 μm.
Despite being a UK meeting, 55 delegates from all over EU attended – the meeting was a resounding success and plans are already underway for a future meeting!
Anton Page, Peter Lackie, Ian Sinclair and Richard Oreffo – Southampton Imaging
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