The ATUMtome is a ground-breaking automated tape-collecting ultramicrotome that collects ultrathin sections on Kapton tape for subsequent high-resolution array tomography and 3D reconstruction. This method leaves sections available for post-staining, immunogold labeling and correlative imaging at any work pace. Available through an Early Adopters Program. 

Key features

• Collects hundreds to thousands of sections on a continuous tape
• Non-destructive to sample, with sections available for years into the future for processing, post-staining, immunogold labeling, correlative imaging — and at any work pace desired.
• Section thickness usually range from 30nm to 5,000nm, with thinner sections possible.
• Determines sample viability sooner in the process so you don’t waste valuable time cutting and imaging a problem sample.
• Uses multiple resolutions for locating regions of interest, then zooming in for higher resolution imaging
• Allows correlative microscopy for localization and then ultra-structural imaging
• Prepares samples that allow short pixel dwell time for fast detection of images during electron microscopy
• Uses standard sample preparation techniques and resins
• Charging effect on sections is manageable
• Priced at a fraction of the cost of alternative 3-D imaging techniques

The ATUMtome’s tape collecting part of the system (ATUM) is under license from Harvard University where Professor Jeff Lichtman, PhD, MD, and his team designed the instrument to help collect ultrathin sections to help reconstruct the brain’s neural pathways — a precursor to one day mapping the entire human brain.