Transmission electron microscopy is used in the diagnosis of some diseases, particularly certain renal diseases. The EM Core Laboratory provides the technical component for clinical electron microscopy, or clinical EM. We process (fix, embed, and stain) submitted tissue samples. Once embedded in a plastic block, thin sections of the biopsy are cut on an ultramicrotome and then are imaged on one of our transmission electron microscopes. Images are then turned over to a pathologist for diagnosis. The EM Core Laboratory is certified by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

Please contact the EM Core Laboratory to arrange for this “technical only” service. Please note that we require submitted samples to have at least two identifying labels: patient name and an accession number. If submitted samples are not compliant, we will contact the submitting institution. Samples should be sent in fixative. Please contact us for our preferred fixative solution.

Pricing is as follows. Note that prices may be reduced or increased for very simple or complex cases, respectively. For example, if a large amount of tissue is sent, then we are required to produce, cut, and image more blocks. We will increase pricing accordingly.