Broadening access to cryoEM through centralized facilities.

ABSTRACT

Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM) uses images of frozen hydrated biological specimens to produce macromolecular structures, opening up previously inaccessible levels of biological organization to high-resolution structural analysis. CryoEM has the potential for broad impact in biomedical research, including basic cell, molecular, and structural biology, and increasingly in drug discovery and vaccine development. Recent advances have led to the expansion of molecular and cellular structure determination at an exponential rate. National and regional centers have emerged to support this growth by increasing the accessibility of cryoEM throughout the biomedical research community. Through cooperation and synergy, these centers form a network of resources that accelerate the adoption of best practices for access and training and establish sustainable workflows to build future research capacity.