A fully vitrified cryo-lift-out lamella reveals high-resolution ECM structures. (A–D) Fully vitrified cryo-lift-out lamella from a TIFF CDM grown for 16 days shown at different magnifications (cryoprotectant: 10% dextran in degassed 0.1 M PB). Cell areas are annotated with transparent red color. (A) Complete overview of the cryo-lift-out lamella. The lamella covers roughly 17 µm of CDM depth, ranging from proximal to the EM grid substrate (z = 0 µm) to close to the CDM surface (z = 17 µm). White dashed rectangles denote the areas of acquisition for the tomograms shown in Fig. 3. (B) Zoom-in of the lamella as annotated with a red rectangle in A. Two ROIs, highlighted by colored rectangles are shown at higher magnification in C and D. (C) Zoom-in into the CDM where ECM fibers are running perpendicular to the lamella, resulting in a cross-section view of fibers. (D) Zoom-in into the CDM where ECM fibers are orientated parallel to the lamella, resulting in a side-view of fibers. Scale bar dimensions are annotated in the figure.