On-demand WEBINAR | Tailored Cryo-EM and Correlative Workflows for Challenging Biological Projects

In this on-demand webinar, the team from the Electron Microscopy Core Facility at IMG (Institute of Molecular Genetics of the Academy of Sciences) Prague shows how they approach technically demanding projects that require more than routine sample preparation and imaging. From intracellular protein crystals that are difficult to access, to fragile immunological synapses that are hard to preserve and reconstruct, this session focuses on what happens when conventional approaches are not enough.

You will hear how the team works in an open-access core facility, how they support users from experimental design through imaging and analysis, and how tailored workflow development helps translate complex samples into meaningful data.

Why watch

This webinar is especially relevant if you work with cryo-EM, correlative workflows,FIB-SEM, or advanced sample preparation in life sciences.

You will see how the team:

• Tackled the difficult targeting of intracellular protein crystals inside cells.

• Developed a workflow that combined fluorescence localization, reflected light imaging, cryo-FIB milling, and electron diffraction.

• Achieved structure determination from a single crystal in a single cell. 

• Addressed the challenge of preserving fragile microvilli during immunological synapse formation 

• Redesigned the workflow to improve targeting and gain the Z resolution needed to assign microvilli to the correct cell.  

• Used cryo-fluorescence microscopy and FIB-SEM tomography to reconstruct complex cell-cell contacts in 3D  

What makes this session worth your time

This is not a high-level overview. It is a practical look at the real decisions, limitations, and optimizations behind challenging biological EM projects. 

The webinar highlights: 

• A core facility in full-service mode  - How the IMG Prague team supports users across experimental design, workflow selection, sample preparation, imaging, data processing, and analysis.  

• A new route to intracellular crystal analysis  - How the team developed a method to localize intracellular protein crystals, simplify targeting, prepare lamellae, and collect electron diffraction data from material that would be difficult to study with conventional large-scale approaches. 

• A correlative workflow for immunological synapses  - How they improved preservation, targeting, and 3D reconstruction of fragile contact sites to reveal how microvilli from different cells interact within the synapse.

What the team achieved

In the first case, the team developed a workflow that enabled protein structure determination by electron diffraction from a single crystal in a single cell.

In the second, they established a correlative workflow that allowed them to distinguish which microvilli belonged to which cell and to capture different stages of immunological synapse formation.