HPF-X: High-pressure freezing with buffer exchange for faster cellular snapshots
Official title: HPF-X: High-pressure freezing with buffer exchange
Funded at Harvard University · NIH-11401759 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new device will let scientists rapidly exchange buffers and freeze cells at high pressure to capture fast, real-time cellular events for deeper understanding of how signals change proteins and membranes.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Harvard University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Cambridge, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2022 |
| Project end | June 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $330,381 |
| NIH project number | 5R01GM146791-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11401759 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Researchers and clinicians studying rapid cellular signaling in neuroscience, endocrinology, immunology, or virology.
✕Less likely to help
This project does not directly involve patient participation; it focuses on device development and basic cellular studies.
What this research studies
This project aims to build HPF-X, a high-pressure freezing tool that can exchange buffers quickly before freezing living cells for cryo-imaging. The goal is to visualize ligand-triggered cellular events with high spatial and temporal precision, overcoming limitations of current live imaging and cryo-techniques. Researchers will test the device by stimulating cells and then freezing them at defined times to freeze the state of proteins and membranes for later analysis. By enabling time-resolved, high-resolution snapshots, the work could illuminate rapid processes underlying neuroscience, endocrinology, virology, immunology, and pharmacology.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from faster and more accurate insights into how signals control cellular behavior, potentially guiding new therapies.
How similar studies have gone: Time-resolved cryo-vitrification approaches have advanced understanding, but a buffer-exchange HPF device is not yet available, making this a novel step.
Where this research is happening
-
Harvard University
Cambridge, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Prigozhin, Maxim — Harvard University
- Study coordinator: Prigozhin, Maxim
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.