# Technology Development 1:  Development of nanocrystal processing protocols for microED

> **NIH NIH P50** · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · 2021 · $301,972

## Abstract

Abstract for Technology Development Program 1 - MicroED
X-ray crystallography over the last 50 years has been the most successful method to obtain atomic structures of
biological molecules. Crystallization of large multi-protein complexes is challenging, and even if successful, the
resulting crystals are usually small, delicate and present multiple challenges. New developments such as serial
femtosecond crystallography using a free electron laser (FEL) and electron crystallography or micro-electron
diffraction (microED) are alternative approaches to obtain structures, using nano-meter or low micro-meter
sized crystals (nanocrystals). Solving structures of bio-macromolecules using FELs requires billions of
nanocrystals, amounts of material that frequently is not available. Solving structures with microED, on the
other hand, may, in principle, be possible with only a few nanocrystals, thus overcoming problems related to
sample quantity. The Calero laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh has pioneered nanocrystal discovery and
optimization using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This has permitted to significantly increase the
number of potential crystallization conditions through direct observation of crystal lattices. In this technology
development proposal, we intend to develop new methodologies to determine structures of protein complexes
of HIV-1 proteins and their human binding partners by exploring nano crystallization space and optimizing
stabilizing conditions for the application of microED approaches for structure determination.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10219106
- **Project number:** 5P50AI150481-15
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH
- **Principal Investigator:** Guillermo Alberto Calero
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $301,972
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2007-08-27 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10219106

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10219106, Technology Development 1:  Development of nanocrystal processing protocols for microED (5P50AI150481-15). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10219106. Licensed CC0.

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