Multi-user imaging facility: upgrades for transmision electron microsopy

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Transmission electron microscopy is a basic technique in cell biology. It facilitates the analysis of cellular and subcellular architecture at a resolution that is 1 to 3 orders of magnitude greater than what can be achieved with light microscopic applications. This technology is indispensable for many research programs of biomedical and agricultural importance such as those of the applicants. The requested equipment and services will improve the performance of an existing transmission electron microscope that was purchased with NSERC funding 20 years ago. This instrument is part of a core imaging facility in the Department of Cell and Systems Biology at the University of Toronto and is a critical research and training tool for a large number of faculty and their students, postdocs and technicians. Our transmission electron microscope shows its age now so that a thorough overhaul and the replacement of some parts has become essential in order to have the instrument work up to specifications and extend its life-time by 7-10 years. In addition, we plan to acquire a digital camera that will be attached to the transmission electron microscope to capture images and document results. This camera will make image capture simpler, faster and cheaper than the current procedure of exposing and developing film and subsequent scanning of those negatives to digitize images. The camera is a long-term investment as it can be moved to a different instrument when a new transmission electron microscope is acquired in the future.