What can CRYOEM do for you?

Pablo Guerra, Molecular Biology Institute of Barcelona, IBMB-CSIC, Spain

Monday 16th December 2024, 12.00 PM

ICMAB - Sala d'Actes Carles Miravitlles and ONLINE (Register here)

Abstract

 The recent development of transmission electron microsco- py has opened the door to data acquisition at atomic resolu- tion and, consequently, to a new dimension in the research of high resolution molecular structures, both from biolog- ical and materials samples. While other regions in Spain have made a strong commitment to equip themselves with state-of-the- art equipment, in Catalonia we are far behind with these kind of infrastructures. This situation has finally changed thanks to the installation of a Glacios 200kV TEM located in the JEMCA (Joint Electron Microscopy Center at Alba), in the ALBA synchrotron. This new infrastructure, de- voted to high-end transmission electron microscopy analy- ses, emerged thanks to the collaboration between several local and national institutions.

Short bio

 I have a degree in Chemistry and in Biochemistry from the University of Zaragoza and King's College in London. Afterward. I obtained my PhD in Biotechnology in the laboratory of Professor Nuria Verdaguer. There, I carried out the structural and biochemical study of the Vault particle, a large ribonucleoprotein involved in transport, but whose exact function remains unknown. Then, I moved to Professor Israel Fernandez's laboratory at Columbia University in New York to specialize in sample preparation and cryoEM data processing. In 2022, I started as the manager of the newly inaugurated cryo-microscopy platform at IBMB-CSIC, where I was responsible for the platform design, microscope calibration and opening to users.