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Updated: Nov 1, 2025

Microcrystal Electron Diffraction of Small Molecules
Published on: March 15, 2021
An Overview of Microcrystal Electron Diffraction (MicroED)
Xuelang Mu1,2,3, Cody Gillman1,2,3, Chi Nguyen1
1Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Department of Biological Chemistry, University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA;
Abstract:
The bedrock of drug discovery and a key tool for understanding cellular function and drug mechanisms of action is the structure determination of chemical compounds, peptides, and proteins. The development of new structure characterization tools, particularly those that fill critical gaps in existing methods, presents important steps forward for structural biology and drug discovery. The emergence of microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) expands the application of cryo-electron microscopy to include samples ranging from small molecules and membrane proteins to even large protein complexes using crystals that are one-billionth the size of those required for X-ray crystallography. This review outlines the conception, achievements, and exciting future trajectories for MicroED, an important addition to the existing biophysical toolkit.
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