Quantifying protein shape changes from cryo-EM data
Official title: Quantitative Recovery of Biomolecular Structural Ensembles from Cryo-EM
Funded at Cornell University · NIH-11415111 · Data updated 2026-11-12
Aiming to precisely map how proteins twist, turn, and adopt different shapes by analyzing cryo-EM images from real patient-relevant proteins.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Cornell University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ithaca, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2025 |
| Project end | August 31, 2030 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $379,860 |
| NIH project number | 5R35GM160103-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11415111 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Not applicable to patient recruitment; this is a methodological grant foundational to understanding disease-related proteins.
✕Less likely to help
Patients will not be directly enrolled in this project.
What this research studies
This project develops new computer methods to extract how likely proteins are to be in different shapes when frozen for cryo-EM. It builds on previous work to simulate cryo-EM experiments and compare them to actual images, then uses this to infer the probabilities of each shape in the sample. The team will speed up these analyses with hierarchical clustering and smart search to handle large data and many shapes. The ultimate goal is to provide a more accurate picture of protein dynamics that could inform understanding of disease-related proteins.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, it could lead to more accurate models of protein behavior in diseases, aiding drug design and biomolecular research.
How similar studies have gone: Preliminary results show promise in recovering conformational probabilities from cryo-EM data, suggesting potential for broader success.
Where this research is happening
-
Cornell University
Ithaca, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Thiede, Erik — Cornell University
- Study coordinator: Thiede, Erik
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
PORTENT 3.0 Technical Core for global health point-of-care tools
A NIH U54 grant supports Cornell and partners in advancing point-of-care technologies for nutrition, infection, and cancer to real-world use, especially in global health settings.
-
Point-of-care zinc test strips to verify infant zinc medicines in low-resource settings
A fast, low-cost smartphone‑based test strips method checks zinc-containing infant medicines in places with limited lab access.
-
Center for Spillover Prevention and One Health Readiness in Asia
A center in Asia works to prevent pandemics by studying how animal infections jump to humans and by building tools to detect and respond quickly to spillovers.
-
SAGE: A privacy-friendly system to monitor antimicrobial use in animals
A nationwide, privacy-preserving data hub will securely collect and standardize antimicrobial use data across animal species to support smarter stewardship and regulatory science.
-
Rapid, bedside KS diagnosis in Africa with KS-COMPLETE
A fast, point-of-care test using skin biopsies to diagnose Kaposi’s sarcoma in sub-Saharan Africa, helping patients get results in about an hour.
-
Nuclear mechanics in tight cell movement
Scientists are studying how the nucleus changes its shape and function when cells squeeze through very small spaces, which could affect health and disease.
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.