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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Are you looking for another opportunity to learn #SingleParticle #cryoEM? Instruct.SI is organizing a workshop covering cryo-EM from grid preparation to 3D reconstruction! 👀 Check out their website for more information - registration deadline October 2, 2026

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

🇨🇦 Last week, we wrapped up “Beyond Consensus Refinements: Advanced Cryo-EM Data Processing with #CryoSPARC” in Toronto! Thank you to all the #cryoEM scientists who joined us, and to @sickkidsto.bsky.social for another great collaboration! We already look forward to the next workshop! Stay tuned!

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

🇨🇦 Today we kicked off our hands-on workshop, “Beyond Consensus Refinements: Advanced Cryo-EM Data Processing with CryoSPARC,” in collaboration with The Hospital for Sick Children @sickkidsto.bsky.social! Excited for two days of diving deeper into advanced #cryoEM data processing with #CryoSPARC. 🔬

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

How does Decoy Classification work? Heterogeneous Refinement classifies particles against both reference and decoy volumes: - Reference volumes are typically low-pass filtered versions of the target molecule. - Decoy volumes represent junk, and don’t need to even come from the same dataset.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Why curate in 3D? 🔬 Valuable but underrepresented particle views can sometimes be difficult to recognize in 2D classes. Decoy Classification provides an alternative way to curate particles while recovering the range of views present in the dataset.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

🔎 A classic #cryoEM particle curation conundrum: 2D or 3D classification? "Decoy Classification" using Heterogeneous Refinement in #CryoSPARC curates particles directly in 3D, helping remove junk particles while preserving valuable views. Read more in the CryoSPARC Blog 👉 bit.ly/3SXfwS0

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

💻 Can’t make it in person? Join remotely and take advantage of the opportunity to learn from and engage with experts across multiple #cryo-EM software packages, from wherever you are.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Bringing together expertise and perspectives from across the #cryoEM community, the workshop will cover approaches for addressing key challenges in data processing. We’ll dive into image processing fundamentals, how to tackle sample heterogeneity, and share practical strategies and insights.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

🚀 Register now for the 2026 Stanford-SLAC CryoEM Center (S2C2) Data Processing Workshop, December 9-11! We’re excited to contribute as #CryoSPARC instructors to this hybrid workshop, together with instructors from CryoDRGN, EMAN2 and AreTomo! More info and registration 👉 bit.ly/4gXbnXd

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Get inspired by this strategy and explore whether some of these approaches could be useful for your own datasets. Happy processing!

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Using the Micrograph Junk Detector and Micrograph Denoiser, together with decoy classification strategies to clean up the initial particle stack and generate templates, this approach helps sift through large data volumes, heterogeneity, low signal-to-noise ratio, and the presence of contaminants.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Rather than working with the entire #cryo-EM dataset from the start, we focused on a subset of micrographs to better understand the data and make informed processing decisions early on, providing a faster route to the initial reconstruction and templates for full-dataset picking.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

💡 The idea is simple: getting to know your data is often the shortcut to more efficient particle picking. In our latest #CryoSPARC blog post, we cover how to speed up #cryoEM data processing through efficient early curation of your dataset. 👉 cryosparc.com/blog/curatio...

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

🚀 Next week we will be at the 2026 New England #Cryo-EM Symposium at MIT, showcasing recent #CryoSPARC developments. If you're attending, we'd love to connect! cryoem.mit.edu/2026-ne-cryo...

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

The MSP20-bound TRPV1 #cryo-EM structure solved in this paper adds an important molecular perspective to the functional observations, helping connect how the compound binds to TRPV1 with how the channel responds over time.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

TRPV1 helps sensory neurons detect potentially harmful stimuli, but activation is only part of the story: prolonged stimulation can also drive the channel toward desensitization, reducing its responsiveness.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

💊 The Pain Paradox: Activating TRPV1 to Silence Its Response - Researchers leveraged rational drug design, functional experiments, and #cryoEM to characterize a new capsaicin-inspired TRPV1 agonist with prolonged analgesic effects. Read more in the #CryoSPARC Blog 👉 cryosparc.com/blog/trpv1-m...

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Instance Recovery is now the recommended approach for ensuring your #CryoSPARC instance is prepared for unexpected recovery scenarios. Explore the scenarios where Instance Recovery can help, the prerequisites for using it, and the resources available to guide you.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

- Recovery files are created automatically every hour on all #CryoSPARC v5+instances. - The small recovery files can be routinely copied to additional backup locations. - The recovery is fail-safe, and inaccessible project directories can still be recovered and manually re-attached.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

🛠️ Even the most carefully managed IT environments need to be prepared for the unexpected. In #CryoSPARC v5, we introduced Instance Recovery, a built-in recovery system for unforeseen database loss or corruption, adding another layer of resilience to our #cryoEM software. Read more 👉 bit.ly/4xlZMGS

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

📽️ Did you miss our talk at the Spring CCP-EM Symposium 2026? You can now watch the full talk from Structura, where we share some of the latest and upcoming developments in #CryoSPARC and single-particle #cryoEM: Check out the full talk here 👇 www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rilg...

youtube.com

New Developments for Single Particle Cryo-EM Data Processing in CryoSPARC | Ali Punjani (Structura)

YouTube video by CCP-EM

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

From visualizing the molecular machinery of invasion to informing strategies for disrupting it, this work highlights how #cryoEM can connect fundamental structural biology with the development of new therapeutic approaches.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The moving junction structure and its native membrane context informed the de novo design of a protein binder that blocks PfAMA1–PfRON2 binding and inhibits parasite invasion. It also revealed membrane-remodeling features, suggesting an active role in reshaping the host membrane during invasion.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

In this publication, the basic repeating unit of the malaria moving junction was purified directly from invasion-stalled P. falciparum merozoites. The resulting structure offers new insights into how its proteins interact with one another and with the red blood cell membrane during invasion.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

#SingleParticle #cryo-EM can provide high-resolution insights into parasite invasion mechanisms, revealing not only the biology underlying infection, but also new opportunities to target key proteins at specific stages of the invasion process.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

🔬Malaria Invasion at Molecular Resolution: From Protein Inhibitors to Membrane Remodeling In a recent Cell publication, researchers at Columbia University resolved the endogenous structure of the malaria moving junction staple using #cryoEM. Read more in the #CryoSPARC Blog 👉 bit.ly/46aX6jl

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

We also benchmark our methods against established metrics (including cryoEF, Fourier Shell Occupancy, 3DFSC sphericity, and SCF*) across 14 #EMPIAR datasets and synthetic data, providing a comprehensive evaluation of their strengths and applications.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

In this latest preprint, we start from the principles of #cryo-EM 3D reconstruction and GSFSC, and explain how cFAR and tFAR provide useful diagnostics for preferred orientation. Plus, Relative Signal highlights under-sampled viewing directions!

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

🚀 Preprint alert: cFAR and Relative Signal: Diagnosing Preferred Orientation in Single-Particle #CryoEM Explore how cFAR, tFAR, and Relative Signal provide complementary diagnostics for preferred orientation, tested across 14 #EMPIAR datasets and compared with established metrics 👉 bit.ly/4wBY1Ev

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Alongside the written case study, explore the linked recordings of workshops on our YouTube channel that walk through the case study step by step. Happy processing!

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

The challenge quickly becomes more than simply separating two classes: - Is that ligand density real, or should the particles’ poses be updated? - How and when do we model continuous heterogeneity? - Are there enough particles sampling intermediate conformations?

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

We combined the apo and FMRFa-bound FaNaC1 datasets (EMPIAR-11631 and EMPIAR-11632) into a single particle stack, then challenged #CryoSPARC to recover the correct structures. Along the way, we compare 3D Classification, Heterogeneous Refinement, 3DVA, and 3DFlex.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

🔄 Mixing Two Cryo-EM Datasets on Purpose: A Cryo-EM Heterogeneity Challenge What happens when you deliberately mix two #cryo-EM datasets containing different conformational states? Our latest #CryoSPARC blog distills the practical lessons from the accompanying FaNaC1 case study 👉 bit.ly/3ScIZa3

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

🇨🇦 This week we’re at IUCr 2026 in Calgary! Join us during Poster Session 4B (Sunday 15th, 5-6 PM MDT), at poster #486, where we’ll be presenting: 🔹 Updates and upcoming developments in #CryoSPARC 🔹 Advances in automated #cryo-EM data processing 👉 www.iucr2026.org

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Reposted by Structura Biotechnology

Bui Lab @McGill @builab.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Introducing CsMT: A new CryoSPARC workflow for high-resolution microtubule reconstruction based on novel PF-pair classification! You can reconstruct MTs entirely in CryoSPARC—zero custom scripts needed. Inspired & built through a fantastic collaboration with the Cianfrocco lab! tinyurl.com/kdpm86tw

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

✨ We’re at the Microscopy & Microanalysis conference in Milwaukee (WI) this week! Join us during session B04.2, where we’ll be showcasing recent #CryoSPARC developments and discussing the latest advances in single-particle #cryoEM data processing and analysis. 👉 mmconference.microscopy.org

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

This work highlights how advances in cryoEM data processing are enabling researchers to capture transient molecular states and reconstruct complex biological mechanisms that were previously beyond reach.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The authors of this study solved seven #cryo-EM structures from only two sample preparations and three cryoEM datasets, capturing the transient intermediates needed to reconstruct the missing steps of the tubulin biogenesis pathway and complete the mechanistic picture alongside previous studies.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Disruption of this mechanism is associated with childhood disorders including infantile encephalopathy and Kenny-Caffey syndrome. However, progress toward understanding these diseases and developing therapeutics has been hindered by the difficulty of producing the α/β-tubulin cofactors.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

The development of the brain and nervous system depends on countless molecular processes occurring with extraordinary precision. One of these is the assembly of α/β-tubulin, the fundamental building block of microtubules.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

🔬 Cryo-EM Reveals the Molecular Machinery of Tubulin Assembly In a recent study from @ucdavis.bsky.social, #cryoEM and #CryoSPARC were used to uncover the molecular mechanism underlying α/β-tubulin biogenesis! Read more on the latest CyoSPARC blog 👉 cryosparc.com/blog/tubulin

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

✨ We’ll be at the Structure-Based Drug Design Summit in Boston this week, showcasing recent #CryoSPARC developments for industrial applications in #cryoEM and #SBDD. If you're attending, we'd love to connect! structure-based-drug-design-summit.com

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Automation in #cryo-EM isn't just about saving time: it's about delivering reliable, reproducible results across challenging datasets. We're continuing to refine these workflows to push the bounds of automated processing. Questions? Please post on the Discussion Forum! discuss.cryosparc.com

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

This case study is a practical guide for researchers looking to deploy automation in their own #cryo-EM projects. It includes a detailed step-by-step explanation of the workflow design, key processing decisions, and a downloadable JSON workflow to help you get started.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Tested on nine CDK-activating kinase (CAK) datasets from #EMPIAR which exhibit strong preferred orientation, the results from automated processing demonstrate improved map anisotropy, map quality and ligand interpretability.

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

🚀 Can automation solve preferred orientation in your #cryoEM datasets? After automating processing across 21 GPCR datasets in #CryoSPARC, we updated the workflow to be even more robust to preferred orientation, achieving improved map quality over manual processing. Read more 👉 bit.ly/3RyOIGG

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

This first post is inspired by our recent case study on acetogenin-bound complex I (EMPIAR-10927), where refinements using 90,066 particles and only 19,090 particles produced comparable map quality and nominal resolution. Explore why!

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Structura Biotechnology @structurabio.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Digging Deeper complements our technical case studies by unpacking the methods behind the results. Rather than diving into implementation details, these posts explain the concepts and practical choices that matter during #cryo-EM data processing.

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