Frankfurt inaugurates cryo plasma-FIB SEM with nanomanipulator

Goethe University Frankfurt has expanded its microscopy infrastructure with a cryo plasma-FIB (Plasma Focused Ion Beam) scanning electron microscope (SEM) equipped with a nanomanipulator. The system, inaugurated at the Buchmann Institute for Molecular Life Sciences on the Riedberg Campus, is described by the university as the first of its kind in Hesse and one of only a few in Germany. The instrument is valued at more than 5 million euros and was supported by the Dr. Rolf M. Schwiete Foundation.

The large-scale instrument uses a focused plasma ion beam to prepare extremely small sections from biological cells, nanobiopsies in the nanometer range. According to Goethe University, a key advantage over conventional ion-beam microscopes is that the plasma beam works more gently and faster, which is relevant for fragile, water-containing cells.

The ultra-thin sections can then be examined using both:

• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)
• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM)

This workflow supports studies that aim to visualize protein structures in their natural environment and to trace cellular changes in diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease or cancer at the molecular level.

Prof. Achilleas Frangakis underlines the cross-disciplinary value: "This microscope bridges medicine and structural cell biology, opening up completely new possibilities for our research," emphasizes Prof. Achilleas Frangakis, who secured the large-scale instrument worth 5.6 million euros. "We can now visualize biological processes under the microscope that were previously hidden – such as how proteins work together in cells in the still unknown physiological context or even how diseases develop at the nanoscale."

Prof. Bernhard Brüne, Vice President for Research at Goethe University, emphasized: "Without this generous funding, this acquisition would not have been possible. The device is indispensable for work in the Cluster of Excellence SCALE – it allows researchers to examine the architecture of cells in previously unattainable detail."

SCALE (Subcellular Architecture of Life) is a joint project of Goethe University and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz within the Rhine-Main Universities alliance, alongside the Max Planck Institutes for Biophysics and Brain Research and additional partners. Researchers in SCALE study how cellular structures are built and how errors in this molecular blueprint can lead to disease. The new microscope supports 3D imaging and analysis of defective structures in cancer cells and in neurodegenerative diseases.

Goethe University also highlights the instrument’s role in training, noting access for students and doctoral candidates, and its potential to strengthen international collaborations. Initial images have already helped decipher a cellular structure important for human kidney function, and the microscope is now available for a broad range of projects.

COMPAMED-tradefair.com; Source: Goethe University Frankfurt