Completed Cells, Biochemistry & Physiology Chemistry

State of the art cryo electron microscope for molecular and cellular biology

Funder Wellcome Charity-funded
Recipient organisation Birkbeck, University of London Source-published name: Birkbeck University of London
Funding £2.3M
Period Mar 2017 — Mar 2022

In plain English

AI plain-English summary

A research lab in London is upgrading its electron microscope to a 300 kV system, the most powerful type available for imaging biological molecules and cells. The problem is straightforward: researchers studying the molecular machines that drive life—proteins, viruses, and cellular structures—need to see them at atomic resolution. Current instruments at the ISMB EM lab are either too slow or too weak. Users now wait three to five weeks for access to high-end microscopes, and the existing 200 kV system works well for isolated proteins but cannot handle the thicker, more complex samples needed for tomography and cell biology. The upgrade will allow scientists to image everything from individual protein complexes to slices of whole cells in their native, frozen state. This is fundamental science—no immediate medical or industrial application is promised. But cryo-EM has already transformed structural biology, revealing the shapes of drug targets, viral spikes, and cellular motors. A dedicated 300 kV microscope on site will let a large community of structural and cell biologists work continuously rather than competing for scarce national facility time, accelerating discovery of how life’s molecular machinery actually works.

View original technical description
Dramatic advances in the power of cryo electron microscopy (EM) to resolve macromolecular and cellular machinery have greatly expanded the field and our need for access to state-of-the-art microscopes. With its internationally renowned research programme on macromolecular machines, the ISMB EM lab is ideally placed to benefit from recent instrumental developments. Although the eBIC facility at Diamond helps by providing intermittent access to state of the art 300 kV systems, this cannot sustain our large research programmes and expanding user base without substantial in-house facilities. Our ever-increasing number of structural and cell biology users are now waiting 3-5 weeks for access to high-end microscopes. Our recent equipment award contributes to an intermediate, 200 kV system, suitable for single-particle work but sub-optimal for tomography and cell biology, limiting its wider impact. In contrast, a 300 kV machine, with cutting-edge performance for single particles, unique assemblies, and cellular sections, would have a transformative impact, enabling new research from a wider community including outstanding local cell biologists. Therefore, we request a Cryo-EM Equipment Grant to upgrade from the 200 kV system to a high-end 300 kV system to be accommodated by an expansion and reorganisation of our EM laboratory.

View the original record at the funder ↗

Researchers

Helen Saibil (EPMC Awardee)

Related Research

Grants with similar aims, by meaning.

Cryo electron microscope for high-resolution single particle analysis
Cryo-electron microscope for structural and cell biology
A modern cryo-EM facility at Imperial College London
A cryo-capable electron microscope for the Astbury Biostructure Laboratory
Expanding the capabilities and use of the South West Regional Facility for High-Resolution Electron Cryo-microscopy

Original classification

Cryo-Electron Microscopy Equipment grant

Plain English summaries and category classifications on this site are generated by AI and may not perfectly reflect the original research.