New Methods in Electron Diffraction

Solving structures by MicroED

MicroED is a new cryo-EM method used to obtain atomic resolution structures of nano-scale protein crystals. We have determined structures from the smallest protein crystals, less than 500nm on a side. Although small, these crystals can produce atomic resolution diffraction.

Phasing for MicroED

We are working on new ways to determine phases for MicroED. We currently phase MicroED data by molecular replacement or ab initio by direct methods.

Sub-Å Structures

Using MicroED, we can interrogate macromolecular crystals at extremely fine resolution. As an example, we recently reported the 0.75Å structure of a prion protofibril.

Radiation Damage

We are investigating the damage incurred by three dimensional crystals during the interrogation of their macromolecular structure by electron diffraction.