C-SPAM: an open-source time-resolved specimen vitrification device with light-activated molecules
Alejandra Montaño Romero, Calli Bonin, Edward C. Twomey
Abstract
Molecular structures can be determined in vitro and in situ with cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). Specimen preparation is a major obstacle in cryo-EM. Typical sample preparation is orders of magnitude slower than biological processes. Time-resolved cryo-EM (TR-cryo-EM) can capture short-lived states. Here, Cryo-EM sample preparation with light-activated molecules (C-SPAM) is presented, an open-source, photochemistry-coupled device for TR-cryo-EM that enables millisecond resolution and tunable timescales across broad biological applications.
Topics & Concepts
MillisecondCryo-electron microscopyVitrificationMicroscopyMoleculeResolution (logic)Sample preparationOpen sourceSample (material)NanotechnologyMaterials scienceChemistryComputer scienceOpticsPhysicsChromatographyAstronomyBiochemistryOrganic chemistryNuclear physicsProgramming languageArtificial intelligenceSoftwarePhotosynthetic Processes and MechanismsAdvanced Electron Microscopy Techniques and ApplicationsAdvanced Fluorescence Microscopy Techniques