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SUMMARY:From Sample to Structure: An Introduction to Cryo Electron Microsc
 opy and Single Particle Analysis
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260327T120000Z
DTEND;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260327T123000Z
DTSTAMP;VALUE=DATE-TIME:20260426T115550Z
UID:indico-contribution-10329@events.saip.org.za
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Rebecca Thompson (Thermo Fisher Scientific)\nUnderst
 anding biological function at the molecular level requires direct visualiz
 ation of macromolecular structure. For decades\, structural biology has re
 lied on approaches such as X ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic reso
 nance spectroscopy. Over the past decade\, cryo electron microscopy has ra
 pidly matured into a central method for protein structure determination\, 
 expanding the scope of questions that can be addressed at high resolution.
  In 2025\, over 10\,000 structures were deposited into the electron micros
 copy data bank\, and in the next few years it is projected single particle
  cryoEM will become the predominant technique for protein structure determ
 ination. \nCryo electron microscopy enables structure determination of pro
 teins and macromolecular complexes in a near native\, vitrified state with
 out the need for crystallization. In particular\, single particle analysis
  has become a powerful and widely adopted method for high resolution struc
 ture determination of soluble proteins\, membrane proteins\, viral particl
 es\, and dynamic multicomponent assemblies. Advances in direct electron de
 tectors\, electron optics\, automation\, and computational image processin
 g now make near atomic resolution structure determination increasingly rou
 tine in many academic laboratories.\nThe impact of cryo EM extends across 
 diverse areas of the life sciences. In virology and infectious disease res
 earch\, cryo EM has resolved the structures of viral surface proteins\, in
 tact virions\, and host pathogen complexes\, directly informing vaccine de
 sign and antiviral development. In therapeutic research\, from small molec
 ules to biologics and monoclonal antibodies\, cryo EM enables detailed vis
 ualization of ligand binding\, antigen antibody interactions\, and epitope
  mapping\, accelerating structure guided drug design. In plant biotechnolo
 gy and crop science\, structural insights into photosynthetic complexes\, 
 stress response machinery\, and plant pathogen interactions are guiding st
 rategies to improve yield\, resilience\, and food security.\nAt the same t
 ime\, advances in in silico protein structure prediction\, including AI ba
 sed approaches such as AlphaFold\, have transformed computational modellin
 g. While these tools are powerful\, experimental structural biology remain
 s essential. Cryo EM provides direct structural validation\, captures conf
 ormational heterogeneity\, reveals ligand binding and complex formation\, 
 and enables the study of assemblies and cellular environments that remain 
 difficult to access computationally.\nThis presentation will introduce the
  fundamental principles of cryo EM and single particle analysis\, placing 
 the method within the broader structural biology workflow. Key steps\, inc
 luding sample preparation\, vitrification\, data acquisition\, and image r
 econstruction\, will be outlined with emphasis on practical considerations
 . Examples from modern 200 kV cryo TEM platforms such as the Glacios micro
 scope will illustrate how recent technological developments support a wide
  range of research projects. \nThe talk will conclude by looking beyond is
 olated particles toward cryo electron tomography and in situ structural an
 alysis. These approaches enable visualization of molecular machines direct
 ly within cells\, bridging molecular and cellular scales and opening new o
 pportunities to study biology in its native context.\n\nhttps://events.sai
 p.org.za/event/272/contributions/10329/
LOCATION:
URL:https://events.saip.org.za/event/272/contributions/10329/
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