2017/06/26

CIC bioGUNE EM community awarded with long-term programme access to Titan microscopes at eBIC-Diamond Light Source (UK)

CIC bioGUNE scientists have been awarded by eBIC (Diamond Light Source, UK) with a BLOCK-ALLOCATION-GROUP (BAG) for performing high-resolution cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) studies on the topic: High-resolution cryo-electron microscopy of molecular recognition and host pathogens interactions.

A BAG usually consists of a number of researchers from the same research institute or from institutes in the same region who competitively apply for access to large science facilities. This particular BAG provides access to state-of-the-art cryo-EM infrastructures at eBIC-Diamond, thus pioneering a similar access route to that adopted in the field of Macromolecular Crystallography (MX) for the past 30 yrs.

This BAG facilitates scientists to enjoy the benefits of the immense advances in cryo-EM that are nowadays driving the research worldwide in different areas of science, from virology to biomedicine, including cellular and cancer biology.

The award of the cryo-EM BAG-Bilbao will support the research activities of CIC bioGUNE scientists allowing the access to the eBIC facility over a period of two years. It is worth noting that during the 1st year of eBIC operation, and even prior to the BAG award, the Bilbao EM community has already received a total number of 192 hours. This allocated time as Rapid Access route demonstrates that our EM community is one of the most active, at the national and international level, in the use of eBIC instrumentation, obviously after those at UK: Cambridge, London, Oxford, and Manchester [Clare et al. Acta Cryst. (2017). D73, 488-495]. Interestingly, the latter groups have already in-house powerful FEI Titan Krios microscopes for life science, whereas no such advanced equipments exist at the Basque Country or Spain yet.

This award reflects the strong expertise and the international recognition of the EM-related scientific activities built within CIC bioGUNE over the past 10 years.