Cryo EM research innovations in 2020
Innovations in cryo-electron microscope technology are bringing structural biology into a new era, and 2020 was packed with significant breakthroughs and discoveries. With the year coming to a close, it’s exciting to see our customers recognized for their cutting-edge research.
Congratulations to those who were recently honored for their work:
EMBO winners
Four of our customers were among 30 life scientists selected as EMBO Young Investigators, an honor that recognizes talented young scientists who have been group leaders for less than four years and have an excellent track record of scientific achievements. The 2020 award went to:
- Tanmay Bharat, University of Oxford: Structural cell biology of bacterial biofilm formation;
- Benjamin D. Engel, Heimholz Zentrum Munich: Interplay between organelle form and function (watch his webinar with us);
- Camilo Perez, Biozentrum, University of Basel: Molecular mechanism of cell wall membrane proteins; and
- Nicholas M. I. Taylor, University of Copenhagen: Mechanism and regulation of transport across the membrane.
Forbes 30 Under 30
Edward Twomey, an assistant professor biophysics and biophysical chemistry at Johns Hopkins University, was named a “Forbes 30 Under 30” in the field of science. Twomey’s lab uses cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to research the impact of neurotransmitters on the way humans learn and process memories. Twomey and his team pioneered the discovery that glutamate proteins develop functional units in the brain and that defects in those structures can contribute to neurodegenerative diseases.
Golden Goose Award
Two customers were awarded the prestigious Golden Goose Award, a U.S. award established to recognize scientists whose federally-funded research has led to innovations or inventions that have a significant impact on humanity or society.
- Jason McLellan, a structural virologist at the University of Texas at Austin, and Daniel Wrapp, a doctoral student in McLellan’s lab, won the award for their research developing effective treatments for COVID-19. Using cryo-EM, the two researchers linked a small antibody called a “nanobody” produced by llamas to a human antibody to create a new antibody that inhibits SARS CoV-2 from infecting human cells. Visit our Cryo-electron Microscopy in Viruses webpage to watch our interview with Prof. McLellan about his SARS-CoV-2 research, and for select publications by Daniel Wrapp. Also, check out PBS’s recent interview with the McLellan Lab to learn more about how their research contributes to vaccine development.
Using our Krios Cryo-TEM, two researchers at the University of Texas at Austin won the Golden Goose Award for their work uncovering a small antibody produced by llamas to create a new antibody that inhibits SARS CoV-2 from infecting human cells.
Congratulations to our customers, and the cryo-EM community, for their groundbreaking life science research!
To learn more about innovative research using our instruments, please see our “Life Sciences Electron Microscopy Learning Center” webpage.
Suzanne Graham is the Senior Director of Academia Business Development and Life Sciences Marketing at Thermo Fisher Scientific.
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