# Structural biology infrastructure (cryo-EM, synchrotrons, AlphaFold)

Source: https://onco.cc/technologies/structural-biology-infrastructure/  
OnCo record `structural-biology-infrastructure` (Technology). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Structural biology infrastructure is the microscopes, X-ray sources, and prediction models that show what a cancer protein looks like so chemists can design a drug to fit it.

## Summary

Cryo-electron microscopy (Thermo Fisher Krios G4, Glacios; JEOL CRYO ARM), synchrotron beamlines (Diamond, ESRF, APS, SPring-8), and AI structure prediction (AlphaFold 2/3, RoseTTAFold, ESMFold, Boltz) underpin structure-based design of KRAS inhibitors, molecular glues, and PROTACs. National facilities and CROs (Creoptix, Proteros, Charles River) provide access; the shift to cryo-EM has resolved previously intractable membrane proteins and large complexes.

## Fields

- Kind: Technology
- Status: established
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Tags: supporting
- Principle: Electron or X-ray scattering from ordered molecules yields atomic-resolution maps; deep learning trained on the Protein Data Bank predicts structures and complexes from sequence.
- Strengths: Atomic detail for rational design; Prediction now near-experimental accuracy for many proteins
- Limitations: Instruments cost $5-10M plus facility; Dynamic and disordered regions poorly captured; Predicted structures still need validation for drug design

## Sources

- AlphaFold 2: predicting protein structures to near-experimental accuracy (Nature 2021): https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2

## Connected records

- fronts: [Drug Discovery Platforms](https://onco.cc/fronts/drug-discovery/)
- technologies: [AI-driven drug & target discovery](https://onco.cc/technologies/ai-drug-design/), [PROTACs & molecular glues (targeted protein degradation)](https://onco.cc/technologies/protac-degrader/)
- companies: [Google (Health, DeepMind, Verily)](https://onco.cc/companies/google-health/), [Thermo Fisher Scientific](https://onco.cc/companies/thermo-fisher/)
- key papers: [AlphaFold 2: predicting protein structures to near-experimental accuracy](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-alphafold2-jumper-nature-2021/)
- roadmaps: [Drug discovery roadmap: screening in mice → maps of dependency → designing in silico](https://onco.cc/roadmaps/drug-discovery-roadmap/)

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