Cryo Electron Microscopy Revolutionizing Drug and Vaccine Development 

Cryo Electron Microscopy



Cryo electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a technique used to view biological
samples at atomic resolution by flash-freezing them and imaging their structure
with electron microscopes. While electron microscopes have been used in
research since the 1930s, recent advances in detector and microscope technology
have enabled cryo-EM to achieve "atomic resolution" below 4
angstroms—making it possible to visualize individual atoms. This breakthrough
has revolutionized structural biology and is transforming drug discovery.



Detector Technology Advances Enable
Higher Resolution Imaging



One of the major factors enabling high-resolution Cryo
Electron Microscopy imaging has been improvements in direct electron
detectors. Older photographic film and CCD camera detectors captured low signal
and had low sensitivity, making high-resolution imaging difficult. New direct
electron detectors like silicon pixel array detectors provide much higher
detective quantum efficiency and faster readout speeds. They can capture many
more electrons from each exposure, yielding images with higher signal-to-noise
ratios. This allows reconstruction of finer structural details from a sample.
The latest generation of direct detectors has ushered cryo-EM into the
"atomic resolution" era below 4 angstroms.



Higher Magnetic Fields and Corrector
Lenses Boost Resolution



Another key development has been the  of
higher voltage transmission electron microscopes equipped with spherical
aberration corrector lenses. Operating electrons industry overview at 300kV
rather than the traditional 120kV provides improved resolution. And corrector
lenses counteract inherent "spherical aberration" from an electron
microscope's objective lens, sharpening the focus of the imaged beam. Together,
higher voltages and correctors increase the "information limit" or
resolution ceiling of electron microscopes. The highest-end microscopes now
routinely image below 4 angstrom resolution.

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Electron Microscopy