Big data in cryoEM: automated collection, processing and accessibility of EM data

Area of Science:

• Structural biology
• Biophysics
• Microscopy

Background:

• Recent technical advancements in cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) have significantly enhanced resolution capabilities for determining macromolecular structures.
• This progress has led to a substantial increase in the volume and complexity of cryoEM data, including single particle analysis and tomographic tilt series.
• Data acquisition now commonly involves direct detector movies, with approximately 10-100 frames per image or tilt-series.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a concise overview of the historical developments and current state of cryo-electron microscopy.
• To describe existing cryoEM data processing pipelines.
• To highlight key aspects of data acquisition, automation, and the utilization of cloud resources in cryoEM.

Main Methods:

• Survey of technological developments in cryoEM.
• Description of current cryoEM data acquisition strategies.
• Review of automation methods and cloud-based storage and computing solutions.

Main Results:

• CryoEM data volume and complexity are rapidly expanding due to improved resolution.
• Direct detector movies are standard for acquiring single particle and tomographic data.
• Existing pipelines increasingly incorporate automation and cloud computing for data management.

Conclusions:

• The increasing scale of cryoEM data necessitates efficient management strategies.
• Automation and cloud computing are crucial for handling the big data generated by modern cryoEM.
• Continued development in these areas will be vital for future cryoEM research.