Project Details
Projekt
120kV Transmission electron microscope
Subject Area
Medicine
Term
since 2026
Project identifier
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 584110560
The requested device is a fully digital transmission electron microscope with an accelerating voltage of up to 120 kV, intended for ultrastructural analysis of biomedical specimens at the Electron Microscopy Center, a core facility of the University Medical Center Rostock. It is requested as a replacement for an existing instrument in the facility that is more than 30 years old. It will support research projects in the wider areas of cell biology, biomaterial and implant research, glia and neurobiology, as well as in oncology research. Centrally located at the campus and operated in the core facility, the microscope will also be available for requests from individual projects conducted by research groups at the Medical Center and at the University of Rostock. For service work and multi-user operation, a compact, enclosed, and fully remotely controllable system is requested, equipped with a fast navigation camera, a high-resolution analysis camera, and holder and software accessories for tomography and correlative microscopy. In scientific projects, the microscope will be used, for example, to analyze the differentiation of cartilage and bone cells from precursor cells, their interactions with extracellular matrix scaffolds and wear particles from implant materials, or may be used to structurally evaluate the quality of novel allograft materials. In neurobiology and glial cell research, the focus lies on visualizing ultrastructural changes induced by inflammatory and degenerative processes in nerve fibers, myelin sheaths, cellular processes and cell organelles. In oncology research, new therapeutic agents that affect tumor cell growth and survival often cause structural alterations in metabolically active organelles - such as the endoplasmic reticulum or mitochondria - which can be assessed using the microscope. High-resolution visualization of cellular structures and specific cell–cell interactions also supports additional projects, for example functional analyses of piercing-sucking mouthparts in insects or studies of host-cell infection by various parasites. The requested device will furthermore support investigations on viruses, extracellular vesicles, and biotechnologically engineered particle complexes, as well as the validation of novel biomaterials. Correlation of structure and function at the electron microscopic level are likewise central to projects on the development of multiciliated epithelial cells and on elucidating mechanisms for the cross-linking of extracellular matrix components as a basis for improved vascular implants. With exemplary applications in research mentioned above, the requested transmission electron microscope will significantly strengthen the research focus HealthTechMedicine of the University Medical Center.
DFG Programme
Major Research Instrumentation
Major Instrumentation
120kV-Transmissionselektronenmikroskop
Instrumentation Group
5100 Elektronenmikroskope (Transmission)
Applicant Institution
Universität Rostock
