Cryo-Electron Microscopy at Just One-Tenth the Cost

Over the past decade, cryo-electron microscopy (cryoEM) has emerged as a powerful tool for determining the detailed structures of complex molecules. Now, a new design from researchers at the Medical Research Council’s Laboratory of Molecular Biology (MRC-LMB) in the United Kingdom and their collaborators could slash the cost of cryoEM by 90 percent. This could bring structural studies in biology and material science within reach of researchers who must currently send their samples out to regional centers or colleagues at wealthier organizations.