3 ms·
The real breakthrough here is that with this technique you don't have to crystallize the proteins anymore, which is the biggest bottleneck in X-Ray Crystallogra
by TomJansen 6y ago
The real breakthrough here is that with this technique you don't have to crystallize the proteins anymore, which is the biggest bottleneck in X-Ray Crystallography.
Relevant; they used Cyro-EM to elucidate the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein [1], which is a big step towards the development of a vaccine. This is a resolution of 3.5 ångström, but still a very nice feat.
[1]: https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6483/1260 https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6483/1260
- claar 6y agoVery interesting! They link the full labelled 3D model in the article's footer: https://www.rcsb.org/structure/6vsb https://www.rcsb.org/structure/6vsb - very cool.
- l33tman 6y ago3.5Å cryo-EM structures have existed for some time. The important thing coming down under 2Å or so, is that it drastically improves the quality of the molecular dynamics simulations you build of these structures.
- natechols 6y agoI'm skeptical of molecular dynamics and docking studies... but the ability to clearly resolve bound drug molecules, or host-pathogen interactions, is very valuable indeed.