Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscope

• Subject Area: Medicine
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 582011817

The proposed instrument is a high-resolution scanning electron microscope equipped with integrated serial block-face technology (Serial Block-Face Scanning Electron Microscope). It will be used for the three-dimensional reconstruction of biological specimens at nanometer resolution. During the imaging process, the tissue is sectioned layer by layer directly within the microscope, and each newly exposed surface is imaged. In this way, image stacks are generated from which detailed 3D datasets can be reconstructed, visualizing complex tissue architectures, organelles, and nanoparticles in their spatial context. The system bridges the methodological gap between large-volume, low-resolution 3D imaging techniques, such as X-ray microscopy, and high-resolution but volume-limited methods, including focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy and electron tomography in the transmission electron microscope. The instrument will be employed across several central research fields of the University Medical Center. In the neurosciences, ultrastructural analyses of synapses, myelin sheaths, and organelles will be performed to investigate alterations in neuronal networks associated with neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases within their spatial context. In dermatological research, the instrument will be used to study wound healing processes, skin tumors, and the interaction of nanoparticles and advanced wound dressings with skin tissue. Tumor architecture and tissue alterations following experimental therapies will be quantitatively assessed. In biomedical engineering, cells in 3D cultures, spheroids, and on biofunctionalized scaffolds will be volumetrically analyzed to characterize processes of tissue integration and matrix mineralization and to correlate these findings with elemental analyses. Another major application area lies in ophthalmological research, where the cornea serves as a model tissue. By combining serial block-face scanning electron microscopy with confocal laser scanning microscopy and optical coherence tomography, the microarchitecture of the cornea—including collagen fibers, keratocytes, and the subbasal nerve plexus—will be visualized and functionally correlated at an unprecedented level of detail. The instrument will complement the existing infrastructure, replace the currently used scanning electron microscope, and ensure the continued availability of essential electron microscopic applications across faculties. It is expected to make a substantial contribution to the integrative analysis of biological processes across multiple spatial scales, to improve the understanding of pathomechanisms, to support the evaluation of innovative therapies, and to sustainably strengthen translational research at the site.

• DFG Programme: Major Research Instrumentation
• Major Instrumentation: Serial Block-Face Scanning Elektronenmikroskop
• Instrumentation Group: 5120 Rasterelektronenmikroskope (REM)
• Applicant Institution: Universität Rostock
• Leader: Professor Dr. Markus Kipp