# Pacific Northwest Center for Cryo-EM - equipment supplement for 2020

> **NIH NIH U24** · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $2,095,064

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY (from original application)
Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has revolutionized imaging in biomedical science, from near atomic
resolution visualization of individual biological molecules by single particle cryo-EM to the definition of
macromolecular complexes, in situ, using cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). This revolution has been driven
largely by advances in the detectors employed to collect the cryo-EM images, in the computer software
programs utilized in image analysis and specimen reconstruction, and in the microscopes themselves.
Because the technology underpinning cryo-EM is both expensive and has dramatically advanced over a short
period of time, many research groups that could benefit from incorporating cryo-EM in their biomedical studies
neither have access to cryo-EM technology nor have the training to employ the technology. To address access
to cryo-EM technology and education, we will create the Pacific Northwest Center for Cryo-EM. The PNCC will
be a collaborative effort between the Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the Pacific Northwest
National Laboratory (PNNL). By harnessing the strengths of OHSU in high resolution imaging, biological
sample preparation and education in cryo-EM with the long-standing experience of PNNL in electron
microscopy, high performance computing and robust user facility operation, we will endow the PNCC with
outstanding capabilities in single particle cryo-EM and cryo-ET, as well as with a thorough and complete
program in cryo-EM education or cross-training. Moreover, because the PNCC has established collaborations
with leaders in cryo-EM technology and in computer hardware and software, the PNCC will be at the forefront
of technological capability. Furthermore, the participation of OHSU in a cryo-EM school co-sponsored by the
microscope manufacturer, FEI, will bolster the cross-training program of the PNCC. Both OHSU and PNNL will
make major investments in the PNCC. OHSU will provide a low vibration space for the instrumentation, it will
donate a new microscope to the center and OHSU will provide $19M in additional funding for use in space
renovation, acquisition of an additional microscope and support of center staff. At the same time, PNNL has
pledged access to their high performance computer centers, their user programs and their high resolution
electron microscopes. By bringing together two major research institutions with complementary strengths,
together with judiciously chosen collaborations and major additional sources of support, we will create a state-
of-the-art, user-focused center for the high resolution imaging of biological molecules and macromolecular
assemblies and for the education of the next generation of scientists trained in the field of cryo-EM.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10246008
- **Project number:** 3U24GM129547-03S2
- **Recipient organization:** OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** James E Evans
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $2,095,064
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-05-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10246008

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10246008, Pacific Northwest Center for Cryo-EM - equipment supplement for 2020 (3U24GM129547-03S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10246008. Licensed CC0.

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