The Cryomicroscopy and Electron Diffraction Core Facility at CeNT has received a grant of nearly 1 million PLN from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education to maintain the operational readiness of the Glacios cryo-electron microscope from 2024 to 2026.
In recent years, cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has revolutionized structural research in the biological and chemical sciences. This method utilizes samples prepared by vitrification, which involves rapidly plunging them into a solution of liquefied cryogen (ethane or propane) at temperatures below -140°C. This process prevents the formation of crystalline ice and is currently the best way to preserve the native structure of the sample, making it compatible with high-resolution imaging using an electron beam, unlike previous methods that relied on heavy metal staining and resin embedding.
The developers of cryo-EM were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017, and since then, the popularity of this method has surged, leading many research centers worldwide to invest in specialized core facilities for cryo-EM.
The 200kV Glacios microscope operates at CeNT within the Cryomicroscopy and Electron Diffraction Core Facility, which is fully equipped for sample preparation and vitrification, as well as comprehensive IT infrastructure dedicated to storing and processing large amounts of data. Currently, there are two centers in Poland conducting cryo-EM research (CeNT UW and Solaris UJ in Kraków), but only at CeNT are studies being conducted across all three application areas of this technology:
- Single Particle Analysis – for structural studies of purified macromolecules, such as proteins, nucleic acids, and viruses, with a resolution below 3Å.
- Cryo-Tomography (cryo-ET) – for 3D imaging of unique structures at the macromolecular scale, such as liposomes, extracellular vesicles (EVs), and cubosomes.
- Micro-Electron Diffraction (micro-ED) – for determining the spatial structure of nanocrystals of small organic molecules, minerals, MOFs, proteins, etc. CeNT was the first center in Poland and one of a few in Europe to implement this technique.
Due to the uniqueness of the cryo-EM method in Poland (with only three operational microscopes—one at CeNT UW and two at Solaris UJ in Kraków), there is a significant demand for access to this infrastructure from research groups engaged in the broadly defined field of structural biology, not only in Poland but also in Central Europe.
The SPUB grant for the Glacios microscope at CeNT will significantly reduce the maintenance costs of this equipment and further develop the Cryomicroscopy and Electron Diffraction Core Facility, thereby increasing the accessibility of cryo-EM technology for researchers from across Poland and abroad. We guarantee our users short waiting times for measurements, assistance from qualified staff during experiments, and favorable conditions for using the equipment. We warmly invite all interested parties to take advantage of the services offered by our laboratory.
