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| National Center for CryoEM Access and Training | |
|---|---|
| Name | National Center for CryoEM Access and Training |
| Formation | 2017 |
| Headquarters | San Diego, California |
| Type | Research center |
| Parent organization | Scripps Research |
| Leader title | Director |
| Leader name | David Agard |
National Center for CryoEM Access and Training is a United States-based research and user facility providing high-end cryogenic electron microscopy resources, method development, and workforce training. The center connects structural biology efforts across academic laboratories and industrial partners, offering access to instrumentation, software, and expert staff to accelerate projects in molecular imaging and translational science. It operates within a network of national laboratories and universities to support investigators from discovery through publication.
The center was established in response to increased demand for single-particle cryo-electron microscopy techniques following advances reported by Jaqueline K. Barton, Richard Henderson, Ronald Vale, Eric Betzig, and Jennifer Doudna. Its founding drew on precedents set by facilities such as National Center for Cryo-EM (NCI) and initiatives led by National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Early partnerships included Scripps Research, University of California, San Diego, and the RCSB Protein Data Bank community, while notable advisors came from laboratories of Venki Ramakrishnan, Thomas C. Südhof, and Ada Yonath. The timeline reflects rapid expansion of capacity after milestones like the award of instrumentation grants similar to those given to New York Structural Biology Center and collaborations modeled on Pacific Northwest National Laboratory programs.
The facility houses high-end microscopes and ancillary equipment comparable to installations at EMBL, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Harvard University. Instruments include multiple 300 keV cryo-TEMs such as models by Thermo Fisher Scientific, direct electron detectors pioneered by groups including Zhang Rui (cryo-EM) and processing suites informed by algorithms from D. A. Agard laboratory and software from RELION, CryoSPARC, cisTEM, Phenix, and EMAN2. Support suites host automated vitrification systems inspired by devices used at Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry and robotics approaches analogous to those at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Computational infrastructure integrates high-performance clusters similar to systems at Argonne National Laboratory and cloud workflows informed by practices at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Research programs emphasize structure determination of macromolecular assemblies, membrane proteins, and viral particles, building on discoveries by Katalin Karikó, Barney Graham, Adrian K. Lee, and groups studying SARS-CoV-2 by teams including David Veesler and Jason McLellan. Methodological advances include beam-induced motion correction strategies related to work by Glaeser Robert M., dose fractionation techniques related to Grant Jensen, and subtomogram averaging approaches following lines from Joachim Frank and W. Baumeister. The center has contributed density maps deposited to repositories used by Protein Data Bank, improved modeling protocols used by UCSF ChimeraX developers, and aided drug-target studies connected to research at Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson.
Training curricula mirror workshops run by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, EMBL-EBI, and Wellcome Trust programs, offering modular courses covering sample preparation, data collection, and image processing. Outreach includes short courses for principal investigators associated with Howard Hughes Medical Institute, fellowship programs aligned with NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein-style support, and collaborative teaching with departments at University of California, Berkeley, University of Washington, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Public engagement events have been organized jointly with institutions such as San Diego State University and museums like the San Diego Natural History Museum.
Collaborators include academic partners (Scripps Research, UC San Diego, Stanford University), national facilities (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory), and industry stakeholders (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Gatan). International links extend to EMBL, Max Planck Society, and consortia such as Human Cell Atlas and Structural Genomics Consortium. The center participates in grant consortia resembling programs funded by National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and philanthropic organizations like Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
User access follows models used by National Synchrotron Light Source II and other user facilities, with peer-reviewed proposal cycles, rapid access for time-sensitive studies, and proprietary access agreements for industry partners like Amgen and Genentech. Remote access capabilities echo services provided by Diamond Light Source and include web-based scheduling, training requirements similar to Advanced Photon Source policies, and user support from staff with expertise comparable to that of Microscopy Society of America trainers.
Funding sources combine federal awards from agencies such as National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation, institutional support from Scripps Research, and equipment donations from companies like Thermo Fisher Scientific and Gatan. Governance is overseen by an advisory board with members drawn from institutions including Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins University, Yale University, and industry representatives from Pfizer and Illumina. Administrative practices are informed by benchmarks set at New York Structural Biology Center and compliance frameworks similar to those at National Research Council.
Category:Cryo-electron microscopy centers