The W.M. Keck Foundation Advanced Microscopy Laboratory is located at the Misson Bay Campus of the University of California at San Francisco. Housed in Genentech Hall, this state-of-the-art facility is under the direction of Professors David Agard and Yifan Cheng. The goal is to develop, in collaboration with the optical group, an integrated approach for imaging, ranging from atomic resolution to whole cells, with emphasis on linking structural and dynamics information with biological function.
Among the areas under development are:
• Automation of data collection to allow near atomic resolution (4Å) reconstructions of macromolecular complexes 500KDa-10MDa to be attained from cryo-EM imaging of 105-106 isolated particle images.
• Developing new sample preparation and cryo sectioning methodology to permit cryo-tomographic imaging of optimally preserved cellular structures at resolutions of 25-30Å.
The successful development of these technologies will substantially enhance our ability to understand the fundamental workings of the cell.