Cryo-EM in Drug Discovery

Rational design leveraging routine, high-resolution protein structure determination is driving the discovery and development of a diverse range of small molecule and biologic therapies. Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has rapidly become the go-to method for drug discovery, delivering critical structural insights that support powerful breakthroughs on a variety of targets, many of which were once considered intractable.

Cryo-EM can help reduce late-stage trial failures by determining high-resolution drug target structures and defining the mechanism of action at early discovery stages. Structure-based drugs have two times the rate of clinical success at 50% of preclinical time and cost.