This page details the information you will be asked to provide when completing a microscope time request on the User Portal.
Project Information
- Project Number
- Project Title
- Principle Investigator
- Institution
- Citizenship
- Phone
- Email
- Lead Contact
- Lead Contact’s Email
- Lead Contact’s Phone
Methods & Equipment Information
What technique do you want to perform? (Pick only one)
- Single Particle Analysis (SPA)
- Tomography
- Correlative Fluorescent Microscopy & Tomography
- Diffraction
- Other
What type of instrument(s) are you planning to use? (Select all that apply)
- Microscope
- 300 kV or 200 kV
- With or without energy filter
- With or without phase plate
- Freezing Apparatus
- Vitrobot
- Vitrojet
- Chameleon
- Cryo-CLEM
- Cryo-FIB
- Tissue culture lab
Is there any foreign funding supporting this project? (Y/N)
Sample Safety Information & Risk Assessment
The cryoEM Facility is a multi-user facility with samples coming from various sources that may contain known or unknown human and animal pathogens. The safety of staff and users are of ultimate concern. Safety informaiton regarding the sample sources and potentially infectious agents is critical for effective chemical and biosafety measures. The facility users and their principal investigators are responsible for submitting sufficient and accurate sample information to obtain sample approval before proceeding with the experiment and data collection. Failure to provide such information will cause delayed sample approval and/or delayed access to microscope time. All samples must be approved by the safety officer and safety specialists at the cryoEM facility.
Are your samples biological? (Y/N)
Yes => Complete subsections 1 through 9.
No => Describe the sample and associated hazards according to its material safety data sheet (MSDS). For example: Electrochemically deposited Li metal (ED Li), flammable and corrosive.
1) List all samples
List EACH biological sample separately. Generalized descriptions such as "membrane proteins", "purified protein", and "E. coli" are too vague and unacceptable. Specify the biosafety level (BSL) of each sample and provide an IBC/APB protocol number, if BSL2. All samples are to be described in further detail in subsections 3-9, as appropriate.
2) IBC/APB Approval
Does the sample contain any know infectious agent(s)? Yes or No
Provide the IBC/APB documentation (IBC/APB-approved protocol or a letter from IBC/APB or Biosafety Officer) for all risk group 2 (RG2) agents.
Has the infectious agent been inactivated or rendered non-infectious? Yes or No
If yes, describe the method of inactivation and provide proof of inactivation.
Your samples will not be approved to be received, manipulated, or handled at SLAC without the IBC/APB documents.
3) Bacteria, fungi, parasites
Describe the BSL of the agent, source, strain, catalog number, and permits from regulatory agencies. If the agent is registered with the IBC, provide the information in the IBC Approval section (subsection 2). Enter N/A, if not applicable to your sample(s).
Example: Psuedomonas aeruginosa, strain PRD-10, BSL2/RG2, ATCC catalog number 15442, originally purchased from ATCC. Approved IBC/APB protocol for the material is attached in subsection 2 for further details.
4) Cell/Cell line
Are the cells transduced, transfected, infected, or altered? Are the cells transformed using viral vectors such as EBV, aednovirus, lentivirus, herpesvirus, etc...?
Enter N/A, if not applicable to your sample(s).
Example: HeLa cells transfected with pcDNA3.5(+)-CD14 for CD14 surface expression
5) Virus or viral components
Example: Influenza virus, mouse-adapted strain, A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) from Charles River (Cat no-10100374). The approved IBC protocol for the procedure is attached in subsection 2 for further details.
6) Prion-like protein
Example: iPSC-derived neurons from BACHD mice expressing human mutant huntingtin (mHTT). The approved IBC/APB protocol for more details is attached in subsection 2.
7) Select Agents and Toxins
Some biological agens and toxins have the potential to pose a severe threat to both human and animal health, to plant health, or to animal and plant products. They are tightly regulated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Please see the Select Agents and Toxins List for a comprehensive list.
Is your sample listed on the Select Agents and Toxins List? Yes or No
If yes, contact the CryoEM Facility Safety Officer, Risa Benwell for further instructions.
8) Protein
Describe the expression method/system, vectors/cell line used, purification method, and inactivation method. If a viral vector is used, describe it in the virus or viral components section (subsection 5). Enter N/A, if not applicable to your sample(s).
Example: Recombinant human coronavirus (HCoV-NL63) spike protein monomer (GenBankQED88040.1), expressed using baculovirus-insect cell expression system.
9) Nucleic acids
Example: L-21 Scal ribozyme from Tetrahymena thermophila (388 nt), DNA template was amplified by PCR using the pT7L-21 plasmid followed by transcription reaction.
Supporting or Preliminary Data
CryoEM Image, Slice, or Tomogram (pdf, if available)
Scheduling
- Optimal number of days
- Minimal number of days
- Dates when you absolutely cannot accept microscope time (i.e., scheduling conflicts)
- Other comments relevant to scheduling
- Indicate your preferred experiment dates (mm/dd/yyyy)
Research Team & Collaborators
Remove any team members not coming, either onsite or remotely, to the requested microscope session, identify those who are participating onsite or remotely, and authorize team member access to experiment data, as needed.
Shipping
At the conclusion of your experiment, do you plan to ship samples, equipment, or other scientific items from SLAC to an international location? (Y/N)
