Supermicroscopes open doors to scientific discoveries

Umeå University has purchased an advanced microscope that can make 3D studies of cells at the nano level. With the tool, it is hoped to be able to learn more about various diseases, including the tick-borne disease TBE.
– For example, we can see how the virus manipulates the cells, says Erin Schexnaydre, Umeå Center for Electron Microscopy at Umeå University.

A frozen cell sample is brought into the Aquilos 2 microscope, an ion beam then works during the night to collect data. Getting more data allows scientists to explore complex biological structures more efficiently, opening doors to new scientific discoveries.

– We will see images of biological systems that we have never seen before, says Erin Schexnaydre, researcher at UCEM.

500 times thinner than human hair

The cells that are studied in the microscope are frozen to minus 180 degrees. Aquilos 2 creates thin layers of the frozen samples, called cryo-lamellas, which can be as thin as 200 nanometers, which is 500 times thinner than a human hair and much thinner than the average size of a human cell.

By studying the internal structures of the cells, it is now hoped to get new answers about diseases.

– For example, TBE, which we have studied with the help of the microscope, and then we can see how the virus manipulates the body’s cells in order to gain its own benefits, says Erin Schexnaydre.

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