Histology and Electron Microscopy
The Histology and Electron Microscopy platform is focused on Electronic Microscopy (EM), namely sample preparation; conventional ultrastructural analysis in 2D; immunogold-labeling; negative staining; elemental analysis - energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (STEM-EDS), and Optical Microscopy (OM) namely grossing, processing, embedding and sectioning; special stains; cryoprocessing and immunohistochemistry. The Histopathology service within HEMS offers a full range of macroscopic and histopathology services, able to support research groups using animal models or human tissues in histopathology studies. The unit provides the equipment, technical support and guidelines to researchers needing high-level electron and optical microscopy to tackle studies either of cells, tissues or material sciences, not only for i3S and the University of Porto but also outside institutions, for industry and companies’ users. HEMS can help define optimal experimental conditions for the research as well as to participate in projects. Besides the training courses for researchers, and master's and PhD programs, the unit also offers internships for higher education students. Currently, the unit is engaged in workshops or exhibitions for the general public organized by the i3S Communication Unit.
Platform Head
Team
User Policy
First time users need to contact the platform staff to get training and access to equipment booking.
For this purpose, three access modes are provided:
A – Equipment utilization mode
B – Service request mode
C - Project development mode
Acknowledegments to the Scientific Platform
In compliance with the i3S Scientific Platforms Acknowledgments approved in C.E. 17/07/2017:
Whenever you use resources (equipment or technical support) from i3S Scientific Platforms you should acknowledge their contribution always referring “i3S Scientific Platform”.
If members of the i3S Scientific Platforms also provided significant intellectual contribution to the study, “i3S Authorship guidelines” apply.
As the HEMS Scientific Platform belongs to the Portuguese Roadmap of Research Infrastructures (FCT) your acknowledegement should also refer that. Please use one of the following sentences or similar.
Applications
Histology
- Grossing & Processing & Embedding & Sectioning
- H&E staining
- Special stains (monochromatic / polychromatic)
- Cryosectioning
- Tissue sections for DNA extraction
- Histogel processing
- Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence (simple or multiplexed)
- Digital scanning (brightfield and fluorescence)
- Imaging Mass Cytometry (IMC) (CyTOF)
- Histology image analysis
Electron microscopy
- Conventional ultrastructure
- Immunoelectromicroscopy
- Negative and cytochemistry stains
- Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (EDS)
- Grossing &Processing & Embedding & Sectioning
- Consultation in tissue analysis.
Resources
Histology Equipment
- Cryostat epredia - NX50 IQOQ
- Cryostat Leica CM 3050S
- Paraffin tissue processor Microm
- Modular embedding system Microm
- Paraffin microtome Microm HM335E
- Paraffin Microtome Leica RM2255
- Vibratome - Leica VT 1200S
- Tissue Chopper McILwain EC350
- Brightfield Microscope - Leica DM2000 LED
- Brightfield Microscope - Olympus DP 25 Camera Software Cell B
- Ventana Discovery Ultra Platform (Roche)
- PhenoimagerTM HT (Akoya Biosciences)
- Hyperion Tissue Imaging System (CyTOF system, Standard Biotools)
Electron Microscopy Equipment
- Transmission Electron Microscope Jeol JEM 1400
- STEM detector and EDS system
- Scanning Electron Microscope - Phenom XL
- Sputter coater / Glow Discharge - Leica EM ACE200
- Ultramicrotome Leica Reichert SuperNova
- Ultramicrotome PT RMC RMC PowerTome PC=XL
- Knifemaker Leica Glass
Services
The HEMS platform has an open-access policy and the resources are available to the internal and external scientific community and industry.
Different usage fees apply.
We can also provide consumables and reagents to perform the Histology and electron microscopy experiments.
Please contact us.
Training
At the HEMS Scientific Platform, we offer you training in all our equipment for you to be an independent user.
Training will be organised according to the availability of staff and equipment.
Publications
- Noronha C., Ribeiro A.S., Carvalho R., Mendes N., Reis J., Faria C.C., Taipa R., Paredes J. “Cadherin Expression Profiles Define Glioblastoma Differentiation and Patient Prognosis”. Cancers (2024)
- Débora Ferreira; Cátia Santos-Pereira; Marta Costa; Julieta Afonso; Sujuan Yang; Janine Hensel; Kathleen M. McAndrews; Rui Fernandes; Ligia R.Rodrigues. "Exosomes modified with anti-MEK1 siRNA lead to an effective silencing of triple negative breast cancer cells". Biomaterials Advances 154 (2023)
- Rocha, Daniela N.; Carvalho, Eva D.; Pires, Liliana R.; Gardin, Chiara; Zanolla, Ilaria; Szewczyk, Piotr K.; Machado, Cláudia; Rui Fernandes; Ursula Stachewicz; Barbara Zavan; João B. Relvas; Ana P Pego. "It takes two to remyelinate: A bioengineered platform to study astrocyte-oligodendrocyte crosstalk and potential therapeutic targets in remyelination". Biomaterials Advances 151 (2023)
- Sônia Nair Báo; Manuela Machado; Ana Luisa Da Silva; Adma Melo; Sara Cunha; Sérgio S. Sousa; Ana Rita Malheiro; Rui Fernandes; et al. "Potential Biological Properties of Lycopene in a Self-Emulsifying Drug Delivery System". Molecules (2023)
- Santos M., Fidalgo A., Varanda A.S., Soares A.R., Almeida G.M., Martins D., Mendes N., Oliveira C., Santos M.A.S. “Upregulation of tRNA-Ser-AGA-2-1 Promotes Malignant Behavior in Normal Bronchial Cells”. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences (2022)
- Gaspar T.B., Macedo S., Sá A., Soares M.A., Rodrigues D.F., Sousa M., Mendes N., et al. “Characterisation of an Atrx Conditional Knockout Mouse Model: Atrx Loss Causes Endocrine Dysfunction Rather Than Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumour”. Cancers (2022)
- Sousa, Adelaide; Rufino, Ana T.; Fernandes, Rui; Malheiro, Ana; Carvalho, Félix; Fernandes, Eduarda; Freitas, Marisa. "Silver nanoparticles exert toxic effects in human monocytes and macrophages associated with the disruption of Δψm and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines". Archives of Toxicology 97 2 (2022)
- Rui Fernandes; Jelena Stevanovic-Silva; Jorge Beleza; Pedro Coxito; Hugo Rocha; Tiago Bordeira Gaspar; Fátima Gärtner; et al. "Exercise performed during pregnancy positively modulates liver metabolism and promotes mitochondrial biogenesis of female offspring in a rat model of diet-induced gestational diabetes". Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease (2022)
- Rui Fernandes; Mariana Morais; Vera Machado; Francisca Dias; Patrícia Figueiredo; Palmeira C; Gabriela Martins; et al. "Glucose-Functionalized Silver Nanoparticles as a Potential New Therapy Agent Targeting Hormone-Resistant Prostate Cancer cells". International Journal of Nanomedicine Volume 17 (2022)
- Côrte-Real L., Brás A.R., Pilon A., Mendes N., et al. “Biotinylated Polymer-Ruthenium Conjugates: In Vitro and In Vivo Studies in a Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Model”. Pharmaceutics (2022)
- Santos M., Ferreira M., Oliveira P., Mendes N., André A., et al. “Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity Induced by Discontinuous Exposure to TGFβ1 Promotes Tumour Growth” Biology (2022)
- Sara Baptista-Silva; Beatriz G. Bernardes; Sandra Borges; Ilda Rodrigues; Rui Fernandes; Susana Gomes-Guerreiro; Marta Teixeira Pinto; et al. "Exploring Silk Sericin for Diabetic Wounds: An In Situ-Forming Hydrogel to Protect against Oxidative Stress and Improve Tissue Healing and Regeneration". Biomolecules (2022)
- Cruz, Ana Filipa; Fonseca, Nuno A.; Malheiro, Ana Rita; B. Melo, Joana; Gaspar, Maria Manuela; Rui Fernandes; Moura, Vera; Simões, Sérgio; Moreira, João Nuno. "Targeted liposomal doxorubicin/ceramides combinations: The importance to assess the nature of drug interaction beyond bulk tumor cells". European Journal of Pharmaceutics and Biopharmaceutics 172 (2022)
- de Sousa, Alexandra; AbdElgawad, Hamada; Fidalgo, Fernanda; Teixeira, Jorge; Matos, Manuela; Tamagnini, Paula; Rui Fernandes; et al. "Subcellular Compartmentalization of Aluminum Reduced its Hazardous Impact on Rye Photosynthesis". SSRN Electronic Journal (2022)
- Nânci Santos-Ferreira; Alexandra Lianou; Ângela Alves; Maria João Cardoso; Solveig Langsrud; Ana Rita Malheiro; Rui Fernandes; et al. "Cross-contamination of lettuce with Campylobacter spp. via cooking salt during handling raw poultry". PLOS ONE (2021)
- Rodrigues, Ana Isabel Geraldes; Gudiña, Eduardo José; Abrunhosa, Luís; Malheiro, Ana R.; Fernandes, Rui; Teixeira, J. A.; Rodrigues, L. R. "Rhamnolipids inhibit aflatoxins production in Aspergillus flavus by causing structural damages in the fungal hyphae and down-regulating the expression of their biosynthetic genes".International Journal of food microbiology (2021)
- Vilaça, Natália; Bertão, Ana Raquel; Prasetyanto, Eko Adi; Granja, Sara; Costa, Marta; Fernandes, Rui; Figueiredo, Francisco; et al. "Surface functionalization of zeolite-based drug delivery systems enhances their antitumoral activity in vivo".Material Science and Engineering: C (2021)
- Komora, N.; Maciel, C.; Amaral, R.A.; Fernandes, R.; Castro, S.M.; Saraiva, J.A.; Teixeira, P. "Innovative hurdle system towards Listeria monocytogenes inactivation in a fermented meat sausage model - high pressure processing assisted by bacteriophage P100 and bacteriocinogenic Pediococcus acidilactici". Food Research International 148 (2021)
- Maciel, C.; Campos, A.; Komora, N.; Pinto, C.A.; Fernandes, R.; Saraiva, J.A.; Teixeira, P. "Impact of high hydrostatic pressure on the stability of lytic bacteriophages' cocktail Salmonelex™ towards potential application on Salmonella inactivation". LWT 151 (2021)
- Gonçalo Mesquita; Tânia Silva; Ana C. Gomes; Pedro F. Oliveira; Marco G. Alves; Rui Fernandes; Agostinho A. Almeida; Ana C. Moreira; Maria Salomé Gomes. "H-Ferritin is essential for macrophages’ capacity to store or detoxify exogenously added iron". Scientific Reports 10 1 (2020)
- Pereira B., Amaral A.L., Dias A., Mendes N., et al. “MEX3A regulates Lgr5+. stem cell maintenance in the developing intestinal epithelium” EMBO Reports (2020)
- Coelho R., Ricardo S., Amaral A.L., Huang Y.L., Nunes M., Neves J.P., Mendes N., López M.N., Bartosch C., Ferreira V., Portugal R., Lopes J.M., Almeida R., Heinzelmann-Schwarz V., Jacob F., David L. “Regulation of invasion and peritoneal dissemination of ovarian cancer by mesothelin manipulation” Oncogenesis (2020)
- Aureliano Fertuzinhos; Marta A. Teixeira; Miguel Goncalves Ferreira; Rui Fernandes; Rossana Correia; Ana Rita Malheiro; Paulo Flores; Andrea Zille; Nuno Dourado. "Thermo-Mechanical Behaviour of Human Nasal Cartilage". Polymers 12 1 (2020)
- Pereira C., Ferreira D., Mendes N., Granja P.L., Almeida G.M., Oliveira C. “Expression of CD44V6-containing isoforms influences cisplatin response in gastric cancer cells”. Cancers (2020)
- Ana Cordeiro Gomes; Ana C. Moreira; Tânia Silva; João V. Neves; Gonçalo Mesquita; Agostinho A. Almeida; Palmira Barreira-Silva; Rui Fernandes; Mariana Resende; Rui Alppelberg; Pedro N.S.Rodrigues; Maria Salomé Gomes. "IFN-γ-Dependent Reduction of Erythrocyte Life Span Leads to Anemia during Mycobacterial Infection". The Journal of Immunology (2019)
- Vilaça, Natália; Gallo, Juan; Fernandes, Rui; Figueiredo, Francisco; Fonseca, António M; Baltazar, Fatima; Neves, Isabel Correia; et al. "Synthesis, characterization and in vitro validation of a magnetic zeolite nanocomposite with T2-MRI properties towards theranostic applications". Journal of Materials Chemistry B (2019)
- Jéssica Costa; Rute Pereira; Jorge Oliveira; Ângela Alves; Ângela Marques-Magalhães; Amaro Frutuoso; Carla Leal; Rui Fernandes; Mário Sousa; Rosália Sá. "Structural and molecular analysis of the cancer prostate cell line PC3: Oocyte zona pellucida glycoproteins". Tissue and Cell 55 (2018)
- Norton Komora; Carolina Bruschi; Vânia Ferreira; Cláudia Maciel; Teresa R.S. Brandão; Rui Fernandes; Jorge A. Saraiva; Sónia Marília Castro; Paula Teixeira. "The protective effect of food matrices on Listeria lytic bacteriophage P100 application towards high pressure processing". Food Microbiology 76 (2018).
- Marques M.S., Melo J., Cavadas B., Mendes N., Pereira L., Carneiro F., Figueiredo C., Leite M. “Afadin downregulation by helicobacter pyloriInduces epithelial to mesenchymal transition in gastric cells”. Frontiers in Microbiology (2018)
- Coelho R., Marcos-Silva L., Mendes N., Pereira D., Brito C., Jacob F., Steentoft C., Mandel U., Clausen H., David L., Ricardo S. “Mucins and truncated O-glycans unveil phenotypic discrepancies between serous ovarian cancer cell lines and primary tumours”. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2018)
- Lima R.T., Sousa D., Gomes A.S., Mendes N., Matthiesen R., Pedro M., Marques F., Pinto M.M., Sousa E., Helena Vasconcelos M. “The antitumor activity of a lead thioxanthone is associated with alterations in cholesterol localization” Molecules (2018)
- Hoop M., Ribeiro A.S., Rösch D., Weinand P., Mendes N., Mushtaq F., et al. “Mobile Magnetic Nanocatalysts for Bioorthogonal Targeted Cancer Therapy” Advanced Functional Materials (2018)
- Santos M., Pereira P.M., Varanda A.S., Carvalho J., Azevedo M., Mateus D.D., Mendes N., Oliveira P., et al. “Codon misreading tRNAs promote tumor growth in mice” RNA Biology (2018)
- Dias A.M., Correia A., Pereira M.S., Almeida C.R., Alves I., Pinto V., Catarino T.A., Mendes N., Leander M., Teresa Oliva-Teles M., et al. “Metabolic control of T cell immune response through glycans in inflammatory bowel disease” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (2018)
- Ribeiro A.S., Nobre A.R., Mendes N., Almeida J., et al. “SRC inhibition prevents P-cadherin mediated signaling and function in basal-like breast cancer cells” Cell communication and signaling: CCS (2018)
- Karabiyik, C.; Fernandes, R.; Figueiredo, F.R.; Socodato, R.; Brakebusch, C.; Lambertsen, K.L.; Relvas, J.B.; Santos, S.D. "Neuronal Rho GTPase Rac1 elimination confers neuroprotection in a mouse model of permanent ischemic stroke". Brain Pathology 28 4 (2018).
- Vilaça, N.; Totovao, R.; Prasetyanto, E.A.; Miranda-Gonçalves, V.; Morais-Santos, F.; Fernandes, R.; Figueiredo, F.; et al. "Internalization studies on zeolite nanoparticles using human cells". Journal of Materials Chemistry B 6 3 (2018).
- Anjo, S.I.; Figueiredo, F.; Fernandes, R.; Manadas, B.; Oliveira, M. "A proteomic and ultrastructural characterization of Aspergillus fumigatus' conidia adaptation at different culture ages". Journal of Proteomics 161 (2017)
- Mendes N., Tortosa F., Valente A., Marques F., et al. “In vivo performance of a ruthenium-cyclopentadienyl compound in an orthotopic triple negative breast cancer model” Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry 17 126-136 (2017)
- Aday, S.; Zoldan, J.; Besnier, M.; Carreto, L.; Saif, J.; Fernandes, R.; Santos, T.; et al. "Synthetic microparticles conjugated with VEGF 165 improve the survival of endothelial progenitor cells via microRNA-17 inhibition". Nature Communications 8 1 (2017)
- Neves, A.R.; Queiroz, J.F.; Costa Lima, S.A.; Figueiredo, F.; Fernandes, R.; Reis, S. "Cellular uptake and transcytosis of lipid-based nanoparticles across the intestinal barrier: Relevance for oral drug delivery". Journal of Colloid and Interface Science 463 (2016)
- Pereira, C.L.; Teixeira, G.Q.; Ribeiro-Machado, C.; Caldeira, J.; Costa, M.; Figueiredo, F.; Fernandes, R.; et al. "MesenchymalStem/Stromal Cells seeded on cartilaginous endplates promote Intervertebral Disc Regeneration through Extracellular Matrix Remodeling"Scientific Reports 6 (2016)