The Structural Biology Core provides services, training, and support to investigators who utilize X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) as a tool to address their research questions.

The core maintains sample preparation equipment for Cryo-EM and X-ray crystallography. This includes a Mosquito Crystal high-throughput nanodrop crystallization robot and two FEI Vitrobot cryo-EM sample preparation stations that automate the crystallization and vitrification process to provide fast, easy and reproducible sample preparation.

The in-house microscopes Krios G2 equipped with Gatan K3 camera and Krios G4 equipped with Selectris X Energy filter and Falcon 4i detector are used for collecting Cryo-EM images.

The core provides users with access to the cutting-edge synchrotron beamlines at the National Synchrotron Light Source II and Advanced Photon Source for diffraction data collection.

The core maintains computational resources for data storage and processing, model building and interpretation of results, including GPU servers and 3D workstations with a vast collection of structural biology software installed.

Depending upon users’ needs, the core personnel can participate in all steps of a structural project.

The facility has an oversight committee, which insures its proper function within the Institution. Christopher Lima serves as the Chairman of this oversight committee.