The Leica EM HPM100 is a high-pressure freezing system for rapid cryo-immobilization of biological, soft-matter, and hydrated samples. The instrument was purchased in 2008 and is used as part of our cryo-preparation workflow for electron microscopy.
High-pressure freezing is one of the most reliable methods for preserving hydrated specimens close to their native state. By combining very rapid cooling with high pressure, the formation of large ice crystals is strongly reduced, allowing cellular and ultrastructural features to be preserved with minimal chemical or dehydration artifacts.
The HPM100 is particularly useful for samples that are difficult to preserve by conventional chemical fixation, including cells, tissues, microorganisms, plant material, biofilms, gels, and other hydrated or delicate specimens. Frozen samples can subsequently be processed by freeze substitution, cryo-sectioning, freeze fracture, cryo-coating, or cryo-transfer workflows, depending on the downstream imaging approach.
In our facility, the HPM100 can be combined with the Leica EM ACE900, Leica EM VCT500, Leica EM VCM, and the FEI Apreo VolumeScope SEM for preparation and cryo-SEM imaging of high-pressure frozen samples. This enables analysis of specimens in a state close to their native conformation, including frozen-hydrated and freeze-fractured samples.
