Polymer-based substrates to enable correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM) for cells on porous surfaces
Official title: Development of polymer-based cell culture substrates for correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM)
Funded at Wadsworth Center · NIH-11379566 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aiming to create a user-friendly polymer substrate and methods so researchers can reliably link light microscopy observations with electron microscopy data for cells grown on permeable, 3D substrates.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wadsworth Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Menands, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $304,639 |
| NIH project number | 5R01GM152716-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11379566 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patients directly; the project targets cellular and tissue research methods.
✕Less likely to help
No direct benefit to patients is expected during the project itself.
What this research studies
This project focuses on making CLEM easier for cells grown on permeable materials like Transwell inserts. Researchers will design and fabricate a polymer-based porous substrate with recognizable indexing patterns to locate regions of interest across LM and EM steps. The team will develop protocols to keep cells functional and properly oriented during LM imaging, resin embedding, and EM sectioning. If successful, the tools could help study cell behavior, structure, and organization in more physiologically relevant environments.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients and the broader community could benefit from faster, more accurate cellular and tissue research that improves our understanding of disease mechanisms and aids development of therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Previous CLEM efforts exist, but this project aims to address limitations for cells on permeable substrates with new substrates and protocols; the approach is innovative but builds on prior CLEM work.
Where this research is happening
-
Wadsworth Center
Menands, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sui, Haixin — Wadsworth Center
- Study coordinator: Sui, Haixin
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.