The Leica EM GP2 is an automatic plunge-freezing system used to vitrify liquid or very thin biological specimens deposited on electron microscopy grids.
The sample is maintained in a protected environmental chamber with controlled temperature and humidity. Excess liquid is removed automatically before the grid is rapidly plunged into liquid ethane.
Main Applications
- Preparation of grids for single-particle cryo-EM
- Preparation of molecular cryo-ET specimens
- Vitrification of viruses and macromolecular complexes
- Plunge freezing of bacteria and small cells
- Preparation of thin cellular specimens for cryo-electron microscopy
- Optimization of ice thickness and sample distribution
The instrument complements the Vitrobot systems and provides an alternative approach to blotting and vitrification. Selection of the most appropriate plunge freezer depends on the grid type, sample behavior, required blotting geometry, and project workflow.
The EM GP2 provides controlled temperature and humidity conditions and automated blotting before plunge freezing into liquid ethane. Leica specifies an environmental chamber adjustable between approximately 4 °C and 60 °C and up to 99% relative humidity.