Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) for high-resolution structure determination

Microcrystal electron diffraction (MicroED) has emerged as a robust approach for determining structures of biological macromolecules, small organic molecules and materials at high resolution. MicroED acquires electron diffraction data from crystals that are orders of magnitude smaller than those required for traditional diffraction methods, which facilitates structure determination from difficult targets. In this chapter, we review current MicroED methodology and applications as and discuss fundamental principles behind the method. We focus on both biological macromolecules and small molecules and describe the similarities and key differences between using MicroED for each class of samples. The chapter serves as a detailed primer for any researcher who is interested in making use of MicroED for high-resolution structure determination.