Diseases, disorders, and injuries of the brain have a profound influence on our communities; the direct and indirect costs of neurological and mood disorders to the Canadian economy total more than $61 billion per year, and place enormous strain on affected individuals and their families. Understanding how a healthy brain works is essential to preventing and treating brain diseases, and both are essential to the health and well-being of Canadians.

Cryo-EM imaging technology, combined with AI, is an emerging method that could transform drug discovery by providing atomic resolution insights into the native structures of proteins implicated in disease. With cryo-EM, drugs and vaccines can be designed to specifically target and map precisely the desired sites for drug interaction on protein surfaces.

One factor that is key to the success of the technology is preparing suitable specimens for imaging using cryo-EM. There is currently a major worldwide gap in the supply of suitable specimen supports (called grids) and limited options for customized design and manufacture of these grids.

By partnering with the UBC ANF, researchers from Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health are now beginning to address this gap, both by leveraging existing technology for grid manufacture and by engineering novel methods to manufacture new grid supports for cryo-EM. This partnership allows the researchers to develop an efficient manufacturing process for the development of customized grids that meet stringent quality control measures. It also enables them to be independent of supply chain problems while simultaneously driving a successful and innovative interdisciplinary collaboration.

EOIs are now open for UBC Blusson QMI’s Nanofabrication Accelerator Program – learn more and apply here.

Learn more about the ANF here.

A virtual tour of the facility is available here.