Ace Therapeutics has experienced psychiatric pathologists in TEM processing and analysis. Our TEM technicians have years of experience in processing tissue samples and producing high quality TEM images, and we work closely with our clients to generate images and data that meet their needs.

Introduction of Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) in Psychiatry

TEM creates an image on a light-sensitive plate or a dedicated camera by using an accelerated electron beam that passes through a very thin sample. the best resolution obtainable from TEM images is many orders of magnitude better than that of optical microscopy. As a result, TEM can reveal the finest details of internal structure.

TEM has been an important tool in cell biology research and can help elucidate the complex structure of the nervous system, including membrane juxtaposition between pre- and postsynaptic structures, glial neuronal processes, glial vascular contacts, and the precise localization of membrane-bound antigens by immunolabeling methods, making TEM important for psychiatric studies.

Fig. 1 TEM for analyzing the number of neuronal synapses. (Lan T, et al., 2021)

TEM Services

Ace Therapeutics provides users with high resolution, high magnification TEM images of cells and subcellular structures from fixed embedded materials. Fine external details can also be viewed quickly through the TEM using negative staining techniques. We are dedicated to acquiring high-resolution images to study ultrastructural details through TEM, providing information on nanoparticle uptake, biodistribution, and relationships to cellular and tissue components. Our TEM analysis services include, but are not limited to

• Particle morphology characterization
• Particle internal structure analysis
• Polymer cross-sectional characterization
• Material identification by electron diffraction
• Nanoparticle characterization
• Environmental particle identification
• Frozen ultrathin section preparation for TEM imaging
• High resolution TEM imaging

What Can We Help You Achieve in Psychiatry with TEM?

• Detection of neuronal loss, microglia activation, astrocyte dysfunction, oxidative stress damage, energy metabolism and pro-inflammatory cytokine activation in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex
• Analysis of exosome release and trans-synaptic transmission from different sources
• Examining the distribution and subcellular localization of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta in the brain
• Quantifying endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondrial contacts
• Study of the ultrastructure of paired helical filaments (abnormal twisted filaments composed of hyperphosphorylated tau proteins)
• Structural synaptic studies to analyze potential mechanisms driving superelectric changes in synaptic transmission
• Measurement of Aβ plaques, tau hyperphosphorylation, neuronal damage, neuronal degeneration, dendritic spine density, synapses, synaptic vesicles, mitochondrial morphology, mitochondrial dynamics, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation
• Observation of the ultrastructure of dentate gyrus neurons

Our Advantages

• Resin-embedded sections cut with modern ultra-thin sectioning machines
• High quality TEM images for review by in-house expert TEM pathologists or electronic transmission for client analysis
• Image capture software has been validated to ensure electronic data compliance

Ace Therapeutics provides consulting, tissue processing, thin sectioning, and TEM analysis and image acquisition services for research on psychiatric disorders. Our advanced imaging capabilities support drug researchers in their ability to develop potential anti-psychiatric drugs through preclinical studies, helping researchers to achieve high-throughput preclinical translational studies that lead to faster and more effective development of future therapies. If you are interested in preclinical TEM analysis services, please feel free to make an inquiry.

Reference

1. Lan T, et al. MicroRNA-204-5p reduction in rat hippocampus contributes to stress-induced pathology via targeting RGS12 signaling pathway. J Neuroinflammation. 2021, 18(1):243.