Development and Commercialization of a Sample Preparation System for Time Resolved Cryo-Electron Microscopy

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Project Summary Project Title: Development and Commercialization of a Sample Preparation System for Time Resolved Cryo-Electron Microscopy Company Name: Hummingbird Precision Machine Co., dba Hummingbird Scientific Principal Investigator: Norman Salmon Summary: Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a powerful technique for imaging biological molecules in which samples are preserved in a frozen, hydrated state before imaging using an electron beam. The technique provides an alternative to X-ray crystallography for structural characterization of biological samples that are not crystallizable or do not crystallize in their native state. While cryo- EM sample preparation technique has become more efficient in recent years with the development of automatic sample vitrification systems to perform grid preparation, the field of cryo-EM is hindered by the inability to perform time-resolved experiments on a sufficiently fast time scale to observe the progression of many biological reactions due to the inherent lag of traditional blotting methods. The Frank group at Columbia University has developed a lab- prototype of a system to enable this missing capability and enables millisecond time control over the reaction time of sampling biological reactions in the grid preparation process. The purpose of this Fast-Track STTR proposal is to develop the time-resolved system built by the Frank group into a commercial production unit and launch it as a product. Initial Phase I milestones in the proposed work will focus on building a prototype with added control of reaction parameters to determine necessary control variables in the system and to optimize sample grid preparation and time resolution. Further work in Phase II of this Fast-Track proposal will create a streamlined, user-friendly production unit which will maintain the necessary controls as determined in initial milestones, while optimizing manufacturing time and reducing overall production costs. The resulting system will add another dimension to the field of cryo-EM, providing users with the capability to capture transient intermediates in reaction progression studies and further clarifying proposed reaction mechanisms with time resolution.