Cryo-transmission electron microscope launched at CCMB

Hyderabad: The state-of-the-art cryo-transmission electron microscope at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) was inaugurated by Dr Shekhar Mande, Director-General, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).

According to a release, Thermo Fisher Scientific cutting-edge cryo-transmission electron microscope supports advanced research and will help scientists to accelerate potential cures, drug discoveries and diagnostic research. The facility will be accessible to researchers in CCMB, other CSIR labs as well as those from other institutes, universities, pharma and biotech companies across the country. Thermo Fisher solutions deployed at the new facility also feature a suite of automation and sample-handling technology, increasing ease of use and ensuring the maximum amount of high-quality data that can be collected for each sample.

"Cryo-EM has revolutionised structural investigations of macromolecules in recent times. The installation of cryo-electron microscope will help CCMB to explore macromolecular structures, create research knowledge base and skills for cryo-EM research in the country. It will facilitate ground-breaking research and establish leadership in structural biology, enzymology, and drug discovery", said Amit Chopra, managing director, India and South Asia, Thermo Fisher Scientific.

He said the new facility's technology will enable researchers to work with samples at cryogenic temperatures, at around -173C0, and image individual molecules. In addition to the confocal microscopy, NMR spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction facilities at CCMB, the addition of cryo-electron microscopy makes it a remarkable facility for researchers to investigate details of living cells like never before.