EM AFS2 Freeze Substitution and Low Temperature Embedding System for Light and Electron Microscopy from Leica Microsystems

Product Specs
ItemEM AFS2 Freeze Substitution and Low Temperature Embedding System for Light and Electron Microscopy
CompanyLeica Microsystems
Price Get Pricing Get Quote for this Product
Catalog NumberEM AFS2
QuantityEach
ApplicationsLow-temperature embedding and polymerization of resins
TypeFreeze substitution processor with attached stereomicroscope
Light SourceLED

Specifications/Features

−140°C to +70°C working range
Transfer function -LN2 gas regulation in the chamber to minimize contamination
LED UV polymerization
Stereomicroscope viewing
AFS smart-remote observation of the process and delivery of critical information via SMS

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Leica Microsystems

10 Parkway North Blvd., Suite 300

Deerfield, Illinois 60015

United States

Phone: 800 248 0123

Company Profile

Website: www.leica-microsystems.com

(1) The evolution of gene functional repertoire in Amorphea: divergent strategies across Amoebozoa, Fungi, and MetazoaMol Biol EvolMay 20, 2026Alex Gàlvez-Morante, Cédric Berney, Daniel J Richteracetone containing 2% (w/v) osmium tetroxide and 0.1% (w/v) uranyl acetate at −90 °C for 72 h in an EM AFS2 (Leica Microsystems, Vienna, Austria). Later, they were warmed up to 4 °C at a 5 °C/h slope, kept at

(2) Electron microscopy‐based three‐dimensional subcellular imaging of plant male gametophyteJournal of Integrative Plant BiologyMay 1, 2026Zhiqi Liu, Zizhen Liang, Mengfei Liao, Yixin Huang, Rui Ma, Jiayang Gao, Weiqi Wang, Tao Ni, Philipp S. Erdmann, Liwen Jiangsucrose as cryo‐protectant in type B aluminum HPF carrier (Leica #16770142), followed by FS (Leica EM AFS2) in acetone containing 2% OsO4. FS was conducted according to a previous study (Czymmek et al., 2020).

(3) Built different: ER cisternae formed by the Arabidopsis Lunapark proteins differ in ultrastructure and affect ER –Golgi transportNew PhytologistApril 29, 2026Charlotte Pain, Tatiana Spatola Rossi, Nadine Field, Carmen Mata, Alessia Candeo, Muhammad W. Ali, Flavia Moreira‐Leite, Stanley W. Botchway, Federica Brandizzi, Verena Kriechbaumerusing HPF in an EM ICE (Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany). Samples were then transferred to an EM AFS2 freeze substitution system (Leica Microsystems) in cryovials with a freeze substitution cocktail of

(4) Mesoglea biogenesis reveals a cryptic aboral valve for pressure regulation in cnidarian morphogenesisSci AdvApril 17, 2026Soham Basu, Petrus Steenbergen, Florian Gabler, Alexandre Paix, Paolo Ronchi, Gleb Bourenkov, Thomas R. Schneider, Jonas Hellgoth, Anna Kreshuk, Suat Özbek, et al.HPM010 (Abra Fluid). Following high-pressure freezing, freeze substitution was carried out using the EM-AFS2 system from Leica Microsystems. The freeze-substitution medium consisted of 0.1% uranyl acetate in acetone.

(5) Diel remodeling and cellular integration of the nitroplastbioRxivApril 17, 2026Ethan H Li, Tyler Coale, Gaëlle Toullec, Artur Czajkowski, Pierre Henri Jouneau, Tim M. Dederichs, Chandni Bhickta, Zachary Raymond, Kyoko Hagino, Vitor Hugo Balasco Serrão, et al.200 μm deep, and sandwiched with a type B aluminum carrier (Wohlwend). Sample was freeze substituted (EM-AFS2, Leica Microsystems), following protocols previously described40,87. The sample was incubated in 0.1%

(6) Profound cell wall remodeling in Candida parapsilosis during systemic infection confers simultaneous tolerance to echinocandins and host immunityMicrobiology SpectrumApril 7, 2026Farnaz Daneshnia, Liuyang Cai, Deepika Gunasekaran, Isha Gautam, Austin M. Perry, Pegah Mosharaf Ghahfarokhy, Arefeh Ebadati, Julieta Munoz, Dorian Padilla, Süleyha Hilmioglu-Polat, et al.(Leica Microsystems, Milton Keynes, UK), followed by freeze substitution in 1% (wt/vol) OsO₄ in acetone with a Leica EMAFS2. After substitution, samples were embedded in epoxy resin with additional vacuum-assisted infiltration

(7) RanBP2-dependent annulate lamellae drive nuclear pore assembly and nuclear expansionNature CommunicationsMarch 25, 2026Junyan Lin, Arantxa Agote-Aran, Yongrong Liao, Mehdi Cloarec, Leonid Andronov, Rafael L. Schoch, Paolo Ronchi, Victor Cochard, Rui Zhu, Erwan Grandgirard, et al.pressure frozen (HPM010, AbraFluid) in their culture medium. Freeze substitution was performed in a Leica EM-AFS2 with 0.1 % uranyl acetate in dry acetone for 24 h at −90 °C. The temperature was then raised to −45

(8) An Advanced Mobile Laboratory to enable field-based microbial ecology and cell biology across scalesbioRxivMarch 16, 2026N Leisch, S Baars, T Beavis, P Bertucci, C Bhickta, M Bonadonna, C M Brannon, L Burgués-Palau, P Cherek, F Chevalier, et al.(Leica Microsystems). The samples were freeze-substituted at EMBL’s Electron Microscopy Core Facility using the EM-AFS2 (Leica Microsystems) with 2% osmium tetroxide in glass-distilled 100% acetone. The temperature was maintained

(9) A standardized approach to test missense PNPLA1 rare genetic variants of uncertain significance in epidermal differentiation disordersJID InnovationsMarch 1, 2026Nuria Pell, Pauline Bernard, Séverine Courrech, Lukas Opalka, Aina Millán-Sánchez, Elise Levy, Séverine Garnier, Cyrielle Clément, Pauline Le Faouder, Katerina Vávrová, et al.containing 3% glutaraldehyde, 2% osmium tetroxide, and 0.5% uranyl acetate at −90 °C for 72 hours in an EM AFS2 (Leica Microsystems). They were warmed up to 4 °C at a 5 °C/h slope, kept at 4 °C for 2 hours, and transferred

(10) Structural Insights into Cell Wall-Related Vesicle Secretion with Different MechanismsPlants (Basel)February 22, 2026Jiawen Yang, Sheng Chang, Linlin Li, Xiaoyu Ma, Hua Han, Zheng Liu, Jian Zhuprepared using a Leica EM ICE (Leica Microsystems, Wetzlar, Germany) high-pressure freezing and a Leica EM AFS2 freeze substitution system. Briefly, samples were loaded into specimen planchettes filled with 1-Hexadecene

(11) Multifunctional roles of Brl1-Brr6 in nuclear envelope fusion during nuclear pore complex biogenesisThe EMBO JournalFebruary 16, 2026Sayan Mondal, Annett Neuner, Azqa Ajmal Khan, Jlenia Vitale, Elmar Schiebelhigh-pressure freezing device (HPM010, Abra-Fluid, Switzerland). Freeze substitution was performed in an EM-AFS2 system (Leica Microsystems, Vienna, Austria) using a solution containing 0.2% uranyl acetate and 1%

(12) Gene expression analysis reveals distinct PHB depolymerization mechanisms and broader involvement of the PHB cycle in Rhodospirillum rubrum growing on acetate and fructoseMicrobial Cell FactoriesFebruary 9, 2026Hugo Fleuriot-Blitman, Katerina Sabatova, Véronique Amstutz, Marketa Jakubickova, Eva Slaninova, Katerina Mrazova, María Celeste Ferrín Mendoza, Kamila Hrubanova, Vladislav Krzyzanek, Stanislav Obruca, et al.(Leica Microsystems, Austria). Frozen carriers were transferred under liquid nitrogen into a freeze-substitution unit (EM AFS2, Leica Microsystems). Freeze substitution was carried out in acetone containing 1.5% (w/v) OsO4 following

(13) Endocytic protein AP180 assembly domain regulates synaptic vesicle size and release in Caenorhabditis elegansPLoS BiolFebruary 6, 2026Yu Wang, Lanxi Wu, Lin Zhang, Yongming Dong, Aaradhya Pant, Yan Liu, Jihong BaiEMPact 2 system (Leica Microsystems, Vienna). Frozen samples underwent freeze substitution in a Leica EM AFS2 unit with a fixative solution containing 1% osmium tetroxide and 0.1% uranyl acetate. After freeze substitution,

(14) Ultrastructural membrane dynamics of mouse and human cortical synapsesNeuronFebruary 4, 2026Chelsy R. Eddings, Minghua Fan, Yuuta Imoto, Kie Itoh, Xiomara McDonald, Jens Eilers, William S. Anderson, Paul F. Worley, Kristina Lippmann, David W. Nauen, et al.samples were transferred under liquid nitrogen to an automated freeze substitution unit held at −90 °C (EM AFS2, Leica Microsystems). Using chilled tweezers, samples were moved into acetone to help disassemble the

(15) Epicatechin Gallate Ameliorates UVB-Induced Photoaging by Inhibiting p38α-Mediated Autophagy and Oxidative StressAntioxidants (Basel)January 30, 2026Danni Yang, Ru Sun, Yulin Cui, Yuqi Li, Huixin Hou, Kouharu Otsuki, Wei Li, Jian Xu, Peipei Zhang, Jie ZhangFreeze substitution was performed with anhydrous acetone (containing 1% OsO4 and 0.1% UA) using a Leica EM AFS2. The samples were maintained at −85 °C for 3 d, at −60 °C for 1 d, at −20 °C for 1 d, and at 0 °C for

(16) PAC regulates endo-, and exocytosis, and lysosomal-mitochondrial stress signaling in human mast cellsCell Communication and SignalingJanuary 20, 2026Korollus Melek, Philip Steiner, Sven Kappel, Benjamin Gottschalk, Ancuela Andosch, Michelle Duggan, Wolfgang F. Graier, Susanna Zierler, Christine PeineltFreeze-fixed cells were subsequently transferred to a pre-chilled automatic freeze substitution unit (Leica EM AFS2; -90 °C; Leica Microsystems, Vienna, Austria) and maintained at a constant temperature for 25.5 h. The

(17) Dynamins maintain nuclear envelope homeostasis and genome stabilityNature CommunicationsJanuary 8, 2026Célia Aveleira, Thibaud Martial, Loïc Carrique, Rita Gaspar, Ana Caulino-Rocha, Izaak Myatt, Franz Wendler, Pauline Lascaux, Misha Le Claire, James Bancroft, et al.high-pressure frozen using a Leica EM ICE. Frozen samples were transferred under liquid nitrogen to a Leica EM AFS2 freeze-substitution unit and processed as in ref. 71, with the following modifications: the freeze substitution

(18) Microscopy Nodes: versatile 3D microscopy visualization with BlenderEMBO ReportsJanuary 5, 2026Aafke Gros, Chandni Bhickta, Granita Lokaj, Brady Johnston, Yannick Schwab, Simone Köhler, Niccolò Banterlebefore freezing. Freeze substitution and resin infiltration Freeze substitution was performed in an EM-AFS2 system (Leica Microsystems) using previously published protocols (Mocaer et al, 2023; Ronchi et al,

(19) Amyloid-mediated RNA uptake by sperm for embryonic deliverybioRxivDecember 11, 2025William S. Mallen, Nataliya Zabello, Susan Brenner-Morton, Simone Sidoli, Isabella D. Pirozzolo, Feng-Xia Liang, Joseph Sall, Jason Yin, Priyanka Mathews, Guoan Zhang, et al.using Leica ICE high pressure freezer (Leica Microsystems). Freeze substitution was done using Leica EM AFS2 unit, all chemicals are purchased from Electron Microscopy Sciences, PA. Briefly, frozen hats were transferred

(20) Distinct S-adenosylmethionine synthases link phosphatidylcholine to mitochondrial function and stress survivalPLoS BiolDecember 1, 2025Athena L. Munden, Arjamand Mushtaq, Dominique S. Lui, Katherine M. Edwards, Daniel P. Higgins, Kasturi Biswas, Rachel M. Walker, Leah H. Crowley, Matthew J. Fanelli, Thien-Kim Ngyuen, et al.in a high-pressure freezer (EM ICE, Leica). This was followed by Freeze Substitution (FS) in a Leica EM AFS2 unit cooled down to −90°C. For FS Procedure and Embedding, the sandwiches with frozen samples were transferred

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