Structural biology infrastructure (cryo-EM, synchrotrons, AlphaFold)
Structural biology infrastructure is the microscopes, X-ray sources, and prediction models that show what a cancer protein looks like so chemists can design a drug to fit it.
Cryo-electron microscopy (Thermo Fisher Krios G4, Glacios; JEOL CRYO ARM), synchrotron beamlines (Diamond, ESRF, APS, SPring-8), and AI structure prediction (AlphaFold 2/3, RoseTTAFold, ESMFold, Boltz) underpin structure-based design of KRAS inhibitors, molecular glues, and PROTACs. National facilities and CROs (Creoptix, Proteros, Charles River) provide access; the shift to cryo-EM has resolved previously intractable membrane proteins and large complexes.
How it works
Electron or X-ray scattering from ordered molecules yields atomic-resolution maps; deep learning trained on the Protein Data Bank predicts structures and complexes from sequence.
- Atomic detail for rational design
- Prediction now near-experimental accuracy for many proteins
- Instruments cost $5-10M plus facility
- Dynamic and disordered regions poorly captured
- Predicted structures still need validation for drug design
Latest papers
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