Upstate Medical University is now home to a new core facility offering electron microscopy services. The TEM core not only houses a transmission electron microscope, but preparation equipment and facilities to make sure samples are prepared correctly and efficiently.

Iwona Koenig, PhD, assistant professor of Microbiology and Immunology, says this is a facility she found was missing from central New York when she arrived at Upstate. “I decided I needed electron microscopy so much that if a core didn’t exist, I needed to make one happen,” she said.

Koenig’s lab focuses on how the activation and potential dysregulation of the innate immune system contributes to the onset and progression of autoimmune diseases.

Koenig has teamed up with co-director William Spencer, PhD, who recently joined the Center for Vision Research and has previous experience with electron microscopy. Rounding out the team is Benjamin Zink, who will serve as the facility’s technical director and brings a wealth of experience.

Creating an electron microscopy facility was one of the priorities outlined in the Research Strategic Plan in 2021. “It’s always a great day when we get to open a new, impactful research core,” says Vice President for Research David Amberg, PhD. “This is another priority of the Research Strategic Plan that is now complete, thanks to the hard work of Dr. Iwona Koenig."

Individuals interested in learning more about what the facility offers or getting in touch about using its services, should contact Benjamin Zink at [email protected].  For more information, go to: http://www.upstateresearch.org/core-research-facilities/institutional-core-research-facilities/upstate-tem-core/