25th October 2018 will be remembered as an important day not only for the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS, but also the entire Polish academic community. The Ministry of Science and Higher Education has officially announced its decision to fund a unique state-of-the-art cryogenic electron microscope (Cryo-EM) and establish the National Centre for Cryogenic Electron Microscopy at the JU synchrotron.
This decision is the result of an initiative first proposed by a consortium of 17 leading scientific institutions in Poland, conducting research projects in structural biology under the supervision of Dr Sebastian Glatt (Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology) and Dr Marcin Nowotny (International Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Warsaw). Establishing such an institution will allow Polish researchers to keep up with other scientific centres and enable them to become leading figures in in structural biology.
The last decade of Cryo-EM development has revolutionised the field of structural biology. The Nobel Prize in Biology awarded to its pioneers in 2017 is a testament to its significance. The development of this technology allowed for the exploration of previously inaccessible study areas, which is proved by a multitude of breakthrough research projects described in scientific papers in the recent years. Cryogenic electron microscopy is vital to understanding the human body, diseases, and aging, and are extremely helpful in developing new treatment methods. Previous research studies employing structural biology techniques have contributed to significant advancements in treating cancer, Alzheimer’s, and obesity. The newest acquisition of the SOLARIS synchrotron will allow Kraków to become a meeting place for an international community of structural biologists striving to achieve high-precision measurements.
