Better, Faster, Cheaper: Recent Advances in Cryo-Electron Microscopy

Area of Science:

• Structural biology
• Biophysics
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a powerful technique for visualizing biological macromolecules at near-atomic resolution.
• Recent technological advancements have significantly improved the speed, accessibility, and resolution of cryo-EM.
• Developments span the entire cryo-EM workflow, from sample preparation to data analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent key advancements in the cryo-electron microscopy pipeline.
• To illustrate the application of these advanced cryo-EM techniques in solving real-world biological problems.
• To highlight the impact of cryo-EM on fields such as infectious disease research.

Main Methods:

• Single-particle analysis (SPA) improvements
• In situ cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) developments
• Advances in data processing and image analysis algorithms

Main Results:

• Enhanced resolution and speed in determining molecular structures.
• Increased accessibility of cryo-EM technology to a broader scientific community.
• Successful application in understanding viral structures, such as the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

Conclusions:

• Cryo-EM continues its rapid evolution, offering unprecedented insights into biological systems.
• Technological progress in cryo-EM is accelerating discoveries in structural biology and medicine.
• The method is crucial for addressing urgent global health challenges, exemplified by its role in vaccine and therapeutic development.