The Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center
The Cryo-Electron Microscopy Center supports industry, academic, government, and non-profit research institutes, providing single-particle and microcrystal electron diffraction capabilities.
The Cryo-EM Center at HWI provides:
- Expert staff – Dr. Qiu-Xing Jiang directs the center with his team with almost 30 years of combined experience.
- State of the art instrumentation – A Thermo Fisher Glacios 200 kV microscope with a Volta phase plate, a Falcon 4 Detector for high-throughput grid screening and high-resolution data collection, and a Ceta-D camera for micro-crystal electron diffraction. Thermo Fisher Vitrobot for grid preparation.
- State-of-the-art laboratories – A well-equipped space for biochemical preparation and biophysical characterization of biological samples; a walk-in humidity-controlled environment dedicated for grid preparation.
- Purpose-built facilities – A microscope facility designed to achieve the best performance. Glycol-cooled temperature control, acoustic and electromagnetic isolation, and laminar air flow are implemented into the construction of these spaces. High-capacity data storage and high-performance computational resources with highly tightened data security and user confidentiality are implemented for remote access during and after data collection.
- Timely access -Experimental runs in the Center are scheduled on a weekly basis and can be prearranged ahead of time to suit the special needs of users’ samples when necessary. Users may inspect their grids and data on the fly during data collection and will have remote access to their data for two months after data collection.
Sample preparation
Grid vitrification
Cryo-EM grid screening
Automatic data collection and remote data delivery
Data analysis and structural determination
Screening for micro-crystals for electron diffraction and structure determination
Users may choose a combination of these components in order to achieve their scientific goals. A team of personnel will be available to discuss different options and possible deliverables and will offer expert advice on each user’s projects in order to achieve the best results in a timely fashion.
Key team members:

Dr. Qiu-Xing Jiang.
Cryo-EM Center Director. Dr. Jiang has 20-years of experience in using cryo-EM for his scientific programs starting with his graduate work at Yale University. His laboratory is specialized in membrane biophysics and molecular physiology and has expertise in collecting and analyzing cryoEM data from different types of cryo-EM samples including low and high-symmetry macromolecular complexes, helical filaments, and 2D crystals. He has applied cryo-EM for structural studies at different resolution regimes for different scientific problems. His research on technical innovation includes the development of spherically constrained reconstruction, chemically functionalized nanometer-thick carbon films, bead-supported unilamellar membranes, and carbon-supported planar membranes, all of which are applicable for cryo-EM studies of biological samples.

Dr. Gaya Yadav
Cryo-EM Center Manager.
Dr. Yadav has 8 years of experience in using cryo-EM for different scientific projects and has practical experience in applying different techniques and operating different types of cryo-electron microscopes. He is a trained biochemist and structural biologist. His graduate work was on X-ray crystallographic studies of enzymes and his postdoctoral work on the structural and functional studies of macromolecular complexes for both fundamental scientific problems and structure-based drug design. He is a manager of daily operations at the Cryo-EM Center.

Dr. Rory Curtis
Dr. Curtis serves as our Vice President for Business Development and is the point of contact for all academic and industrial users of the cryo-EM center. He has 30 years of drug discovery experience in biotech, pharma, and contract research, having invented two compounds that progressed into human clinical trials. He has experience in using structural biology and computational chemistry for structure-based drug design and he recently published the X-ray crystal structure of the Artemis endonuclease.
Publications involving the Cryo-EM Center Group
- Qiu-Xing Jiang (2020) Introduction: new tools for challenges in membrane biology. Chapter 1, pages 1-8. In: “New techniques for studying biomembranes” ed. By Qiu-Xing Jiang. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Boca Raton, London & New York.
- Gaya Yadav and Qiu-Xing Jiang (2020) Reconstituted membrane systems for assaying membrane proteins in controlled lipid environments. Chapter 6, pages 93-122. In: “New techniques for studying biomembranes” ed. By Qiu-Xing Jiang. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Boca Raton, London & New York.
- Qiu-Xing Jiang (ed.) (2020) New techniques for studying biomembranes. Series title: “Method in signal transduction series” by Joseph Eichberg Jr., Michael X. Zhu, and Harpreet Singh”. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, Boca Raton, London, New York.
- Catalysis-dependent inactivation of human telomerase and its reactivation by intracellular telomerase-activating factors (iTAFs). ME Sayed, A Cheng, GP Yadav, AT Ludlow, JW Shay, WE Wright, QX Jiang, Journal of Biological Chemistry 294 (30), 11579-11596 1 2019
- Structural Variability in the RLR-MAVS Pathway and Sensitive Detection of Viral RNAs. QX Jiang Med. Chem. 15 (5), 443-458 4 2019
- Cholesterol-Dependent Gating Effects on Ion Channels. QX Jiang Adv Exp Med Biol. 1115, 167-190 8 2019
- Secretory granule protein chromogranin B (CHGB) forms an anion channel in membranes. Gaya P Yadav, Hui Zheng, Qing Yang, Lauren G Douma, Linda B Bloom Life Science Alliance 1 (5), DOI: 10.26508/lsa.201800139 8 2018
- Lipid-dependent gating of ion channels. QX Jiang Protein-Lipid Interactions 1, 75-106 4 2018
- Elucidating the structural organization of a novel low-density lipoprotein nanoparticle reconstituted with docosahexaenoic acid. RS Mulik, H Zheng, K Pichumani, J Ratnakar, QX Jiang, IR Corbin Chemistry and physics of lipids 204, 65-75 1 2017
- bSUM: A bead-supported unilamellar membrane system facilitating unidirectional insertion of membrane proteins into giant vesicles. H Zheng, S Lee, MC Llaguno, QX Jiang Journal of General Physiology 147 (1), 77-93 9 2016
- Prion-like polymerization underlies signal transduction in antiviral immune defense and inflammasome activation. X Cai, J Chen, H Xu, S Liu, QX Jiang, R Halfmann, ZJ Chen Cell 156 (6), 1207-1222 390 2014
- Chemically functionalized carbon films for single molecule imaging. MC Llaguno, H Xu, L Shi, N Huang, H Zhang, Q Liu, QX Jiang Journal of structural biology 185 (3), 405-417 22 2014
- Antibacterial membrane attack by a pore-forming intestinal C-type lectin. S Mukherjee, H Zheng, MG Derebe, KM Callenberg, CL Partch, D Rollins, DC Propheter, J Rizo, M Grabe, QX Jiang, LV Hooper. Nature 505 (7481), 103-107 203 2014
- Structural basis for the prion-like MAVS filaments in antiviral innate immunity H Xu, X He, H Zheng, LJ Huang, F Hou, Z Yu, MJ de la Cruz, B Borkowski, X Zhang, ZJ Chen, QX Jiang. Elife 3, e01489 146 2014
- Prevalent mechanism of membrane bridging by synaptotagmin-1. AB Seven, KD Brewer, L Shi, QX Jiang, J Rizo Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 110 (34), E3243-E3252 49 2013
- Reconstitution of a Kv channel into lipid membranes for structural and functional studies. S Lee, H Zheng, L Shi, QX Jiang JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments), e50436 11 2013
- The influence of lipids on voltage-gated ion channels. QX Jiang, T Gonen Current opinion in structural biology 22 (4), 529-536 29 2012
- Phase transitions in the assembly of multivalent signalling proteins. P Li, S Banjade, HC Cheng, S Kim, B Chen, L Guo, M Llaguno, JV Hollingsworth, DS King, SF Banani, PS Russo, QX Jiang, BT Nixon, MK Rosen. Nature 483 (7389), 336-340 986 2012
- Structural insights into the activation of RIG‐I, a nanosensor for viral RNAs. QX Jiang, ZJ Chen EMBO reports 13 (1), 7-8 30 2012
- MAVS forms functional prion-like aggregates to activate and propagate antiviral innate immune response F Hou, L Sun, H Zheng, B Skaug, QX Jiang, ZJ Chen Cell 146 (3), 448-461 861 2011
- Membrane bridging and hemifusion by denaturated Munc18. Y Xu, AB Seven, L Su, QX Jiang, J Rizo
PLoS One 6 (7), e22012 21 2011 - Lipid-dependent gating of a voltage-gated potassium channel. H Zheng, W Liu, LY Anderson, QX Jiang Nature communications 2 (1), 1-9 82 2011
- Seipin is a discrete homooligomer. D Binns, SK Lee, CL Hilton, QX Jiang, JM Goodman Biochemistry 49 (50), 10747-10755 101 2010
- Phospholipids and the origin of cationic gating charges in voltage sensors. D Schmidt, QX Jiang, R MacKinnon Nature 444 (7120), 775-779 418 2006
- Electron microscopic analysis of KvAP voltage-dependent K+ channels in an open conformation. QX Jiang, DN Wang, R MacKinnon Nature 430 (7001), 806-810 126 2004
- Three‐dimensional structure of the type 1 inositol 1, 4, 5‐trisphosphate receptor at 24 Å resolution QX Jiang, EC Thrower, DW Chester, BE Ehrlich, FJ Sigworth The EMBO journal 21 (14), 3575-3581 137 2002
- Spherical reconstruction: a method for structure determination of membrane proteins from cryo-EM images. QX Jiang, DW Chester, FJ Sigworth Journal of structural biology 133 (2-3), 119-131 26 2001
- pH-dependence of interaction between melittin and baeteriorhodopsin Q Jiang, K Hu, W Wang
Science in China, Series C: Life Sciences 39 (4), 362-372 1 1996 - Interactions of both melittin and its site specific mutants with bacteriorhodopsin of halobacterium halobium: Sites of electrostatic interaction on melitin. QX Jiang, KS Hu, H Shi Photochemistry and photobiology 60 (2), 175-178 13 1994
Physical address
The Cryo-EM Center
Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute
700 Ellicott St., Buffalo,
NY 14203