The Alberta Cryo-EM Facility

SPP-ARC is proud to operate The Alberta Cryo-EM Facility. This state-of-the-art facility provides researchers with access to advanced cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM) tools and expert training.  This facility has 3 major components that support operations and training in Cryo-EM:

  1. High-Resolution Cryo-EM Facility
  2. Screening Facility
  3. CERC Laboratory

Usage Fees

All prices are in CAD. Consumables (auto-grids) will be charged separately.

Internal

$600/day
  • Users from the University of Alberta

External

$1000/day
  • Other Canadian academic users

External

$600/day
  • Canadian users with projects in pandemic preparedness

Industry/International

Quote
  • Users from outside Canada or industry may request a quote.
Contact us

High-Resolution Cryo-EM Facility


High-Resolution Cryo-EM is a cutting-edge facility designed to support transformative structural biology research and aligns with SPP-ARC’s vision of pandemic preparedness, the development of medical countermeasures and beyond. At the core of the facility is the ThermoFisher Scientific Titan Krios G4, a 300kV transmission cryo-electron microscope equipped with a:

Selectris-X Energy Filter

Falcon 4i direct electron detector

Retractable phase plate

Screening Facility


Led by Dr. Howard Young, this dedicated wet laboratory facility is outfitted with essential tools for sample preparation and grid handling including:

Thermo Fisher Talos L120C microscope for negative-stain and Cryo-EM screening

TwoMP mass photometer for rapid assessment of sample quality

Carbon and gold-coated grids using the Leica ACE 600 and Pelco easiGlow systems for grid preparation.

Equipment for fabrication of holey gold, holey carbon, continuous carbon, and graphene oxide grids for single particle and tomography applications

Vitrobot and Leica EM GP2 systems with plunge freezing capabilities

Autogrid Clipping Station for Titan Krios-compatible workflows.

CERC Laboratory in Cryo-EM & Drug Design


Led by Dr. Kalyan Das, the CERC Lab on Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM) and Drug Design is equipped with the following key equipment for sample preparation, purification and characterization, and cryo-EM grid optimization. Key equipment includes:

Akta pure FPLC in-line with Wyatt Multi-Angle Light Scattering (MALS) and Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) instruments for measuring molecular mass and hydrodynamic radius of macromolecules.

Pelco easiGlow for glow discharging cryo-EM grids

Thermo Fisher Scientific Vitrobot Mark IV system

Leica EM GP2 Automatic Plunge Freezer

Grid handling and clipping tools