Smart EPU: SPA Getting Intelligent

Abstract

Single Particle Analysis (SPA) is an increasingly popular technique among structural biologists for visualizing the structures of proteins and protein complexes [1,2]. Recent improvements in instrumentation and automation improve the efficiency with which high-quality data can be obtained, which will likely broaden the applicability [3] of this workflow to users that have limited microscopy expertise. However, acquiring high-quality SPA data still largely depends on the expertise of the microscope operator. This limits the speed of adoption as researchers must invest considerable time into understanding microscopy and the technicalities of the workflow. In this presentation, we introduce Smart EPU, a new technology on Thermo Scientific Cryo-TEM systems that allows for further software and ease of use automation. Smart EPU will free operators from tedious and repetitive tasks and open Cryo-EM to a wider audience by taking over tasks that are easy for experts but challenging novices.