Mainstreaming Cryo-EM in Cancer Research

    Cancer Discovery
    |January 10, 2018
    PubMed
    Summary

    Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a powerful tool for cancer research. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) now offers a free facility to make this expensive technology accessible to more scientists.

    Related Concept Videos

    Interaction of EM Radiation with Matter: Spectroscopy01:12

    Interaction of EM Radiation with Matter: Spectroscopy

    Electromagnetic (EM) radiation can be considered an oscillating electric and magnetic field propagating through a medium that can interact with matter in its path. The electric field in the radiation can interact with electrical charges in the atoms or molecules in the matter. On the other hand, the magnetic field can interact with the magnetic field in the atomic nucleus. The study of the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter is termed spectroscopy. Spectroscopy is the study...
    3.4K
    Dual Nature of Electromagnetic (EM) Radiation01:10

    Dual Nature of Electromagnetic (EM) Radiation

    Electromagnetic (EM) radiation consists of electric and magnetic field components oscillating in planes perpendicular to each other and mutually perpendicular to radiation propagation through space. EM radiation can be classified as a wave, characterized by the properties of waves such as wavelength (denoted as λ) and frequency (represented by ν).
    Wavelength is the distance between two consecutive peaks (the highest point) or troughs (the lowest point) in the wave. Frequency is the number of...
    4.1K
    Cryo-electron Microscopy01:28

    Cryo-electron Microscopy

    Conventional electron microscopy (EM) involves dehydration, fixation, and staining of biological samples, which distorts the native state of biological molecules and results in several artifacts. Also, the high-energy electron beam damages the sample and makes it difficult to obtain high-resolution images. These issues can be addressed using cryo-EM, which uses frozen samples and gentler electron beams. The technique was developed by Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson, for...
    4.4K
    Cancer02:18

    Cancer

    Cancers arise due to mutations in genes involved in the regulation of cell division, which leads to unrestricted cell proliferation. Modern science and medicine have made great strides in the understanding and treatment of cancer, including eradicating cancer in some patients. However, there is still no cure for cancer. This is largely due to the fact that cancer is a large group of many diseases.
    54.6K
    What is Cancer?02:12

    What is Cancer?

    Cells and tissues must meticulously coordinate their activities for the normal functioning of the human body. Therefore, they exhibit socially responsible behavior - resting, growing, dividing, differentiating, or dying - for the organism’s benefit. Cancer arises when cells divide uncontrollably and invade other tissues or organs.
    Although people have known about cancer for centuries, it was only in 1761 that Giovanni Morgagni of Padua performed a detailed autopsy of...
    14.5K
    Cancer Vaccines01:30

    Cancer Vaccines

    Cancer treatment vaccines are a rapidly evolving field that offers a promising approach to immunotherapy. Unlike traditional vaccines that prevent diseases, cancer treatment vaccines are designed to treat existing cancers by stimulating the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
    Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...
    1.1K