METHOD OF PREPARING A BIOLOGICAL SAMPLE FOR INSPECTION WITH ELECTRON MICROSCOPY AND FLUORESCENT LIGHT MICROSCOPY

摘要

The invention relates to a method of forming sections for inspection in an electron microscope and a fluorescent light microscope. Conventionally these sections are made by for example the Tokuyama method, which involves freeze substitution and fixing at cryogenic temperatures. A problem is the time that it takes to come from a sample to sections, as the diffusion speed of the chemicals (organic solvents and fixatives) is extremely low. The invention comprises the sectioning of the sample at cryogenic temperature and fixing afterwards. As the sections are much thinner (e.g. 100 nm or less) than the sample (often 1µm), the total time it takes to come from a sample to a section ready for inspection is less than 8 hours. This makes it possible to achieve results relevant for health care within one workday.