Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a rapidly developing technique in structural biology wherein the biological sample of interest is flash frozen under cryogenic conditions. The utility of cryo-electron microscopy stems from the fact that it allows specimens to be observed under “near-to-native” conditions without the need for staining or fixation. This is in contrast to X-ray crystallography, which requires crystallizing the specimen, which can be a long and challenging process, which often involves the introduction of biomolecules into non-physiological environments that can occasionally lead to functionally irrelevant conformational changes. Cryo-EM is now routinely applied to study the structures of viruses, ribosomes, ion channels, transcription and splicing machinery, and many other protein and nucleo-protein complexes. The spiraling number of publications that incorporate cryo-EM methodologies is evidence of this technique’s importance to the structural community: Since 2017, single particle Cryo-EM has been used to solve the structures of more than 1800 molecules, nearly half of which are resolved to better than 4 Å resolution. The resolution of single particle cryo-EM maps is improving steadily, with recent improvements in processing methodologies yielding structures at better than 2 Å resolution. This powerful technique additionally enables researchers to study the conformational landscape of a biological specimen from a single flash-frozen sample, in order to deduce the mechanism by which it works.

The course will cover the theory, practice, and application of single particle cryo-EM. Participants in the course will learn to perform all steps involved in solving high resolution cryo-EM structures, including sample prep, microscope alignment, data collection, image processing, and model building. Students will have supervised access to CSHL’s Titan Krios and K3 direct electron detector, as well as the Talos L120C. This hands-on course will include lectures by leading experts who will discuss practical and conceptual approaches to structure determination using these techniques, as well as covering a wide range of state-of-the-art applications of cryo-EM in the biological sciences.

Applications are open to individuals at universities and colleges, medical research institutions and industry, both from within the United States and from overseas, and to individuals at any stage in their postgraduate (PI, postdoc, grad student, etc.) career.  Applicants must demonstrate that they are committed to applying cryo-electron microscopy directly to their own research, and that they work in an environment where such application is feasible and realistic.

For more on this course, read what former trainees said of their experience. Also, be sure to check out our growing online alumni presence.