Services and Pricing

Stanford Use and Pricing

The cEMc is pleased to offer Stanford researchers both training and assisted use for our cryoEM and cryoET instrumentation.

View STANFORD pricing

Stanford researchers can use the following services:

Book instrumentation time with iLabs. Learn how to use iLabs (requires SUNet ID).
Purchase or rent computational nodes through Sherlock.

External Use and Pricing

A portion of cEMc instrumentation time is available for external academic, nonprofit, commercial, and industrial research. Our full-service option includes cEMc staff performing freezing, screening, and automated data collection on your sample.

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Single Particle CryoEM Workflow

Preparation: Purify your protein or complex of interest
Vitrify samples with plunge freezer
- The goal of this process is to produce grids with vitreous ice-embedded particles.
- Sample vitrification typically requires two hours for approximately eight grids.
- The process can be repeated as needed if grid screening in the next step does not deliver adequate results.
Screen samples for ice quality and particle distribution on a Glacios microscope
- Grids can be screened for ice and particle quality to determine their suitability for high-resolution imaging.
- One screening session typically takes four hours for screening six grids. Multiple vitrification and screening rounds may be required for projects that require extensive sample optimization.
- Glacios availability is variable. We recommend that Stanford researchers check the iLabs schedule at least a week in advance.
High-resolution automated data collection on a Krios microscope
- Thousands of images a day are collected on high-end transmission electron microscopes.
- Data collection typically lasts one to three days, depending on the project scope.
- Time is reserved as whole days on our Krios microscopes. Longer time slots for data collection are also available on our Glacios.
- We strongly recommend that Stanford researchers book time as soon as a grid is ready for data collection.
Data processing
- cEMc staff can provide advice on image processing for 3D reconstructions.
- Stanford researchers can use Sherlock's shared pool of compute resources for data processing or purchase computational nodes for priority access. Researchers my also use their own computational resources.
- cEMc plans to offer computational data-processing services for researchers who cannot access such resources.

Cryo-Electron Tomography Workflow

Preparation: Culture cells in conditions of interest
Vitrify samples with plunge freezer
- Vitrification enables flash-freezing of cells, proteins, or other material of interest within a relatively thin layer of non-crystalline ice.
- Vitrification typically requires two hours for approximately eight grids. The process can be repeated as needed if grid screening in the next step does not deliver adequate results.
Screen samples for ice quality and sample distribution on Glacios
- Up to 12 grids can be screened in one four-hour session. Multiple vitrification and screening rounds may be required for projects that require extensive sample optimization.
- Glacios availability is variable. We recommend that Stanford researchers check the iLabs schedule at least a week in advance.
Optional: Focused ion beam milling (FIB-SEM) on Aquilos to prepare thin regions (lamellae) of interest for high-resolution TEM imaging
- FIB milling can thin samples such as whole cells or tissues to final thickness of 100-200 nm for further imaging in a transmission electron microscope.
- Currently, up to two grids per day can be prepared for data collection.
High-resolution cryoET data collection on Krios
- Tilt series of areas of interest are collected on a high-end transmission electron microscope.
- Data collection typically lasts two to three days, depending on project scope.
- We strongly recommend that Stanford researchers book time as soon as a grid is ready for data collection.
Data processing and segmentation
- Image acquisition time largely depends on sample quality and number of lamellae or other targets and can require between a few hours and a few days.
- cEMc staff can provide advice on image processing for 3D reconstructions.
- Stanford researchers can purchase or rent computational nodes through Sherlock or set up their own computational resources.
- cEMc plans to offer computational data processing services for researchers who cannot access such resources.

Characterization Study Workflow

Preparation: Purify/manufacture sample of interest (thin film, liposome, nanomaterials)
Vitrify samples with plunge freezer
- Vitrification enables flash-freezing of cells, proteins or other material of interest within a relatively thin layer of vitreous non-crystalline ice.
- Vitrification typically requires two hours for approximately eight grids.
- The process can be repeated as needed if grid screening in the next step does not deliver adequate results.
Screen samples for quality on Glacios
- Four to six grids can generally be screened in a four-hour session.
- Glacios availability is variable. We recommend that Stanford researchers check the iLabs schedule at least a week in advance.
Image collection on Glacios or Krios
- Image collection for characterization studies – this is typically completed in one day.
- Time is reserved as whole days on our Krios microscopes. We strongly recommend that Stanford researchers book time as soon as a sample is ready for image collection.
Data processing
- Stanford researchers can purchase or rent computational clusters nodes through Sherlock or set up their own computational resources.
- cEMc is planning to offer computational data processing services for researchers who cannot access such resources.

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Services and Pricing

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