# The Southeastern Consortium for Microscopy of MacroMolecular Machines

> **NIH NIH U24** · FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $474,492

## Abstract

Abstract
The Southeastern Center for Microscopy of MacroMolecular Machines (SECM4) is a consortium
of 15 Universities/Medical Centers with a total of 19 investigators throughout the Eastern United
States studying a wide range of important biomedical projects as variable as high resolution
virus structure, membrane protein structure, macromolecular complexes of various types, some
isolated in active form from cells, bacterial ultrastructure, muscle filaments, spliceosomes,
ribosomes complexes all of which will benefit from ready access to a high resolution electron
microscope such as a Titan Krios equipped with a direct electron detector (DED). Human health
implications extend from virus and bacterial pathogens to the understanding of diseases
resulting form genetic mutations. The basic biology of cancer and heart disease is being studied
in several member laboratories. The Titan Krios at Florida State University has been in
operation since 2009 and recently has had its image recording device upgraded from CCD
camera to a Direct Electron LLC, DE-20 direct electron detector positioned ahead of an existing
imaging filter which removes inelastically scattered electrons thereby improving the image
quality. Although we propose a robust plan to enable members to come to Florida State
University, we propose creating a facility based on the synchrotron template currently in use at
multiple sites X-ray crystallography beam lines around the country whereby users ship
specimens to us and watch the data being collected as it comes off the microscope from the
familiar confines of their own laboratories. We will provide sufficient preprocessing that
consortium members can evaluate the prospects for obtaining a final high resolution structure
from damage and motion corrected “movie” images of their samples. The result will be a model
for high throughput structure determination utilizing high-end instrumentation that can reveal the
inner workings of complex macromolecules and subcellular structures.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9985867
- **Project number:** 5U24GM116788-05
- **Recipient organization:** FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Mavis Agbandje-Mckenna
- **Activity code:** U24 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $474,492
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-07-18 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9985867

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9985867, The Southeastern Consortium for Microscopy of MacroMolecular Machines (5U24GM116788-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9985867. Licensed CC0.

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