How long does it take to prepare typical samples for viewing in the electron microscope?
A. For the TEM, upon receiving a live sample, a typical turn-around time is ~1-2 weeks for fixation, embedding, sectioning and contrast staining grids before they can be imaged. If immuno-labelling is required, it will be at least two weeks. For SEM, sample preparation time is generally much shorter, sometimes only a matter of a few minutes, especially if the samples are cryo-fixed.
