The Shanghai Insitute of Materia Medica (SIMM), a leading drug research institute in Zhangjiang, Pudong, recently bought the world's most advanced cryo-electron microscopy equipment and opened a cryo-electron microscopy research center.

The move was due to the growing importance of the cryo-electron microscopy technique in the research of the high-resolution structure of biomacromolecule, as well as the research in fields such as biology, medicine, and the R&D of new drugs in recent years.

The center will work on the research of drug targets such as G protein-coupled receptors, nuclear receptors, ion channels, transporters, and viruses that cause serious diseases.    

It will use the latest cryo-electron microscopy techniques to determine the arrangement of atoms in the drug targets and viruses to advance the design and R&D of related drugs.

In addition to meeting the needs of scientific research teams in the institute, the center will also offer research service to clients outside, according to officials at the SIMM.

The launch of the center is also considered a driving force for the R&D of new drugs at the center.

The newly-bought cryo-electron microscopy equipment at the Shanghai Insitute of Materia Medica is put into use. [Photo/simm.cas.cn]