Cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) is a cutting-edge technology applied to samples that have been cooled to very low temperatures so that they can be observed while preserving their structure. Recent innovations have enabled the determination of biomolecular structures at atomic resolution, culminating in the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This was awarded to Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson, "or developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution". The structure of coronavirus, the imaging of metabolic pathways in cancer cells, the characterization of 'smart' materials - catalysts for the green transition, are some examples of the wide range of applications of the technology.
Unfortunately, however, there is inequality in the possession and knowledge of this technology. It is absent from the whole of South-East Europe, hindering innovations in research and development implemented in these regions. The hot4cryo project aims to eliminate this inequality: It envisions to bring the technology and its applications to Greece and the wider region. hot4cryo attracts a distinguished researcher together with a highly qualified team to advance cryo-EM research, establishing at the National Hellenic Research Foundation (Athens, Greece), an extensive laboratory structure unique in Greece, the Balkans, and the whole of South-Eastern Europe.
The cryogenic electron microscopy laboratory will be part of the Institute of Chemical Biology. In collaboration with the Institute of Theoretical and Physical Chemistry (ITPC), it will accelerate the installation and make use of the new state-of-the-art infrastructure of the NHRF's Centre of Excellence, which is funded by the Recovery Fund and the European Investment Bank. The cutting-edge technology and innovation potential of hot4cryo will improve research coherence between the partners involved by promoting high quality fundamental and applied research opportunities. The project is expected to create a national unit of excellence by offering direct access to cutting-edge technologies and research activities that did not previously exist. In the long term, hot4cryo will contribute to reversing the current brain drain, benefiting local and regional economies.
