Objective
Cryogenic transmission electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a technique for high-resolution imaging of radiation-sensitive biological macromolecules under near-native conditions. Cryo-EM sample preparation techniques rely on rapid cooling of an aqueous suspension of biological macromolecules to obtain a thin layer of amorphous ice containing the solute. Problems associated with current implementations are considered a major bottleneck to realizing the full potential of cryo-EM: excessive sample consumption, the difficulty to reproducibly obtain ice conditions suitable for high-resolution imaging and the extensive contact of solute molecules with a large air-water interface result in only a small fraction of the imaged molecules contributing useful information for the final 3D reconstruction. Poor time resolution of these methods furthermore precludes the visualization of dynamic structural changes that provide critical biological insight. In our laboratory we have developed technology to design nanofluidic MEMS devices suitable for cryo-EM imaging. We here propose to explore product development of a nanofluidic chip for reproducible sample preparation with picoliter volumes. The sample is contained in nanochannels formed between membranes of an electron-transparent material, thereby controlling ice thickness and avoiding formation of an air-water-interface. This method has all features to push cryo-EM to new frontiers: it requires minute amounts of sample, robustly provides uniform and customizable thickness gradients across the sampling area at a time resolution that is limited only by the vitrification process itself. Our CryoChip will provide entirely new opportunities for time-resolved cryo-EM imaging and high-throughput applications in structure-based drug design for pharmaceutical industry. We will liaise with an industrial partner experienced in MEMS probe fabrication to explore processoptimization and viability of larger-scale production.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
-
HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept Grants
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-POC1
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2628 CN DELFT
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.