RMC Products Launches ATUMtome to Automate Serial Sectioning for 3-D Imaging Applications

As research transitions from 2-D to 3-D imaging, there is a growing requirement to increase efficiency in volume imaging of samples. RMC Products by Boeckeler Instruments answered part of this need by launching the ATUMtome (Automatic Tape-collecting Ultramicrotome) this month during the Society of Neuroscience meeting in Washington, D.C., booth #2501, in partnership with ZEISS.

According to RMC officials, the ATUMtome opens the door to efficient sectioning and handling of thousands of sections that permit 3-D reconstruction of large volumes of biological materials. It also provides a unique tape collecting method that allows sections to be stored for later processing and examination. The instrument is in its early adopter phase in which scientists are helping to advance the technology with their feedback.

The tape collecting part of the instrument (ATUM) is under license from Harvard University where Professor Jeff Lichtman and his team of neuroscientists initially designed the instrument to help collect ultrathin sections which, once imaged, are used to construct a 3-D image of the brain’s neural pathways as part of the Connectomics efforts to eventually map the entire human brain.

GENERAL FUNCTIONS
The RMC ATUMtome operates with an ultramicrotome and diamond knife included in the system. Typically, researchers mount resin-embedded specimens on the ultramicrotome, cutting serial sections that then float on a water surface in the diamond knife trough. The ATUMtome moves a continuous ribbon of tape through this water trough, automatically removing the serial sections in sequential order. After the sections are collected, researchers mount the tape strips onto substrates like silicon wafers or glass slides. The populated wafers are now ready for imaging with a scanning electron microscope.

ZEISS offers a dedicated soft- and hardware package that allows researchers to image the large number of ATUMtome serial sections in an automated way. ZEISS Atlas 5 Array Tomography is available for all ZEISS scanning electron microscopes and Crossbeams.

APPLICATIONS
Early adopters of the ATUMtome are primarily using the system for neuroscience research. However, the system’s unique ability to collect hundreds to thousands of sections on a continuous tape opens the door for use in many serial section applications.

The system can be used in correlative microscopy applications involving, for example, light and scanning electron microscopy to map nano-particles inside organs and tumors. It can also benefit users who want to image whole cells and correlate the 3-D distribution of specific proteins within these cells. Stored sections can be immunolabeled multiple times for examination under epifluorescence illumination.

“We’re envisioning many research projects opening up because of the ATUMtome,” says Boeckeler President Pat Brey. “By increasing the efficiency in obtaining serial sections and retaining them for future analysis, the ATUMtome is an exciting tool to consider especially among scientists who have wanted to do 3-D reconstruction but were held back because of the impractical effort it would take to handle all the sections needed. Also, scientists who need to retain the sections for future analysis will find the ATUMtome an ideal solution.”