Neurology Electron Microscopy Core Facility

Core Director: Istvan Katona
ikkatona@houstonmethodist.org 
emcore@houstonmethodist.org
Phone: 346.238.2661

The Neurology Electron Microscopy Core Facility at Houston Methodist is a fee-for-service research laboratory providing internal and external users a wide spectrum of electron microscopy (EM) techniques from sample preparation to advanced imaging and image analysis. As part of the Houston Methodist Research Institute Department of Neurology, we routinely process samples related to the central and peripheral nervous system but can help with the ultrastructural studies of any biological samples. 

 

Our services include:

• Project planning and EM technique consultation 
• Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) tissue processing and sectioning 
• Ultrastructural analysis and TEM image processing 
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) tissue processing and sample preparation 
• Data processing consultation and advanced image analysis
• Serial block face SEM 3D imaging (Zeiss Gemini 360 with Volutome)

 

To schedule services, reserve equipment and view a complete list of services and our fee structure, visit our iLab site. An initial project-planning consultation is required before booking microscope time. Contact core personnel to set up a consultation.

Our combined EM experience in research and diagnostics is extensive. You can find our published scientific works under the following links:

 

All EM data generated by the Core Facility are temporarily stored on secure local workstations and shared via the cloud provider box.com. The Core facility only guarantees storage of the data for 30 days and will regularly clear space for new data as needed. Data transferred to external storage must comply with institutional privacy and security policies. No PHI or patient-identifiable information should be uploaded or stored on EM Core systems. 

 

To support continuous improvement of Core services, the EM Core may retain anonymized imaging data for internal purposes such as workflow optimization, staff training, service enhancement, and educational or promotional materials. This data will never be published or shared externally without written permission from the originating investigator. 

 

Publication Acknowledgement:

The Electron Microscopy Core Facility should always be included in the Methods and/or Acknowledgement section of publications in which collaboration took place. It should be cited as “Houston Methodist Research Institute Department of Neurology Electron Microscopy Core Facility (RRID:SCR_027479)”. This helps us secure funding and demonstrates our contribution to the research community. In case a member of the Core facility contributes to the conducted research in a substantial way, fulfilling authorship criteria, recommended by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (see here: ICMJE | Recommendations | Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors) they should be listed as an author on the resulting publication. This should be discussed at the initial consultation of the planned project or decided during completion of the project.