Spotiton and Chameleon Vitrification robots

Abstract

Almost every aspect of cryo electron microscopy (cryoEM) has been automated over the last few decades. One of the challenges that remains to be addressed is the robust and reliable preparation of vitrified specimens of suitable ice thickness. To this end we have been developing a new approach that uses piezo dispensing of picoliter volumes coupled to ''self-blotting" nanowire grids The prototype instrument (Spotiton) [1] is now being developed as a commercial system (Chameleon, TTP LabTech Ltd.) which has the potential to provide a robust and highly automated method for making vitrified grids. This approach to vitrification also the additional advantage that it results in shorter dwell times of the sample in the thin liquid film just prior to vitrification and this appears to ameliorate some of the deleterious effects of the sample interacting with the air-water interface.