{"entity":{"id":"structural-biology-infrastructure","kind":"technology","name":"Structural biology infrastructure (cryo-EM, synchrotrons, AlphaFold)","aka":[],"tldr":"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.","status":"established","asOf":"2026-09-08","links":[{"label":"AlphaFold 2: predicting protein structures to near-experimental accuracy (Nature 2021)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2"}],"tags":["supporting"],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":["drug-discovery"],"technologies":["ai-drug-design","protac-degrader"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":["thermo-fisher","google-health"],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":[],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"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"]},"route":"/technologies/structural-biology-infrastructure/","neighbours":{"section":[{"id":"drug-discovery","kind":"section","name":"Drug Discovery Platforms","route":"/fronts/drug-discovery/"}],"technology":[{"id":"ai-drug-design","kind":"technology","name":"AI-driven drug & target discovery","route":"/technologies/ai-drug-design/"},{"id":"protac-degrader","kind":"technology","name":"PROTACs & molecular glues (targeted protein degradation)","route":"/technologies/protac-degrader/"}],"company":[{"id":"google-health","kind":"company","name":"Google (Health, DeepMind, Verily)","route":"/companies/google-health/"},{"id":"thermo-fisher","kind":"company","name":"Thermo Fisher Scientific","route":"/companies/thermo-fisher/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-alphafold2-jumper-nature-2021","kind":"paper","name":"AlphaFold 2: predicting protein structures to near-experimental accuracy","route":"/key-papers/paper-alphafold2-jumper-nature-2021/"}],"roadmap":[{"id":"drug-discovery-roadmap","kind":"roadmap","name":"Drug discovery roadmap: screening in mice → maps of dependency → designing in silico","route":"/roadmaps/drug-discovery-roadmap/"}]}}