When it comes to biology, details matter. If a drug isn鈥檛 designed to perfectly hit its target, down to a single atom, it may utterly fail. That鈥檚 where structural biologists come in. 黑料吃瓜资源 (CSHL) has one of the world鈥檚 leading experts.
CSHL Professor & HHMI Investigator Leemor Joshua-Tor specializes in the use of cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). This Nobel-prize-winning technology flash-freezes biological structures in action. The resulting images enable scientists to look at life at the atomic level. Cryo-EM is one of several shared resources empowering next-generation research at CSHL. So, it鈥檚 only right that each year next-gen scientists from across the globe come to CSHL for our .
Founded in 2018 by Justin Kollman and Gabriel Lander, this two-week course has become a hallmark of CSHL鈥檚 world-renowned . It covers the theory and practice of interpreting high-resolution single-particle cryo-EM structures. Students get access to state-of-the-art equipment along with hands-on training from instructors like Kollman and Lander. They also attend lectures by the field鈥檚 top experts.
Recently, cryo-EM technology enabled CSHL Professors Rob Martienssen and Leemor Joshua-Tor to pinpoint the mechanism that controls epigenetic inheritance in plants.
As for Joshua-Tor, her presence is virtually ubiquitous here on campus. In January, she was named CSHL Director of Research. And the director has some words of wisdom for any course attendee. Quoting the late Francis Crick, she says, 鈥淎ll approaches at a higher level are suspect until confirmed at the molecular level.鈥� These words, she adds, 鈥渁re the basis for all biology. They are the basis of my life鈥攚ords I live by.鈥�
Of course, as far as imaging goes, it doesn鈥檛 get much more molecular than cryo-EM. 鈥淭he level of magnification we鈥檙e doing would be analogous to standing here on Earth, looking up, and reading a street sign on the Moon,鈥� explains Lander. 鈥淚t鈥檚 incredibly powerful.鈥�
Written by: Luis Sandoval, Communications Specialist | [email protected] | 516-367-6826