A next-generation computing platform for electron microscopy at Imperial College

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In a cell, proteins are like tiny molecular machines carrying out complex biological functions. Many proteins work together in large assemblies that are difficult to study because they are dynamic. To see protein complexes in action, we use a method called cryo electron microscopy in which we take hundreds of thousands of protein snapshots, and with a computer, combine these images to create a three-dimensional model. Using these models, we can understand how proteins interact with binding partners to do their jobs inside cells. Computing is an important part of generating structural models from electron microscopy pictures. Previously, researchers used individual computers at their desks to process data. This is no longer possible because of the large number of images used in these calculations and the complexity of the computer programmes involved. The computer gaming industry has driven technology advances in graphical computing which we use to process images of proteins. This proposal is for a computing platform that combines a high-performance file storage system with graphical computing resources to process cryo electron microscopy data at Imperial College London. This computing platform will allow us to solve more structures quicker and enable researchers use these data to inform new experiments faster. This proposal will support structural biology research at Imperial that works toward understanding the rules of life. Many of the projects that directly benefit from this computing equipment are tackling BBSRC strategic challenges in sustainable agriculture, an integrated understanding of health, and data-driven biology. Half of the CoIs on this proposal are researching the fundamental biological processes underlying antimicrobial resistance mechanisms. Together new structural models generated using this computing platform will lay the foundation for the discovery of therapeutics to improve human health.