Purchase of electron microscopic infrastructure to establish a multi-user facility for cryo electron microscopy, in particular cryo electron tomography. (360G-Wellcome-093305_Z_10_Z)

The aim of this application is to obtain funds to contribute towards strengthening the infrastructure for 3D cryo electron microscopy and integrative microscopy across the University of Oxford. In addition to establishing the Oxford Particle Imaging Centre (OPIC) at the Division of Structural Biology (STRUBI), Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, as a state of the art multiuser facility for cryo electron tomography it will strengthen all three cryo electron microscopic imaging modalities, n amely electron tomography, 'single particle' analysis and 2D electron crystallography and will create a link to enable integrated multi-resolution structure determination including the unique super-resolution light microscopic techniques available in the Department of Biochemistry. By coordinating this effort with the Department of Biochemistry and the Dunn School of Pathology it will yield a new quality of interaction, communication and exchange in this field in Oxford. The combined facilities will provide the infrastructure to promote the analysis of pathogens-host interactions, large multi-protein macromolecular machines and membrane proteins that will be complementary to the local NMR and X-ray crystallography resources and also those available at the Diamond Light Source and the associated Research Complex.