Beyond the Resolution Revolution: The Next Era of Cryo-EM and Structural Biology
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 34
Special Issue Editor
Interests: structural biology of membrane proteins; cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM); X-ray crystallography; phosphoserine phosphatases; TRP channels; ion channels involved in regulated secretion; potassium ion channel structure and function; lipid-dependent gating mechanisms of ion channels; amyloid structure and aggregation mechanisms; structure-based inhibitor and drug design
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
With its ability to capture biomolecular structures at near-atomic resolution, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has ushered in a new era in structural biology. Over the past decade, continuous advancements in detector technology, image processing algorithms, and sample preparation have dramatically expanded the scope of cryo-EM—from small protein complexes to large macromolecular assemblies, membrane proteins, and dynamic molecular machines.
This Special Issue aims to highlight recent breakthroughs, methodological innovations, and emerging applications of cryo-EM in understanding the structure and function of biological macromolecules. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that address the following topics:
- Novel cryo-EM methodologies and data analysis approaches;
- Integrative structural biology combining cryo-EM with complementary techniques such as X-ray crystallography, NMR, and computational modeling;
- Structural insights into membrane proteins, ion channels, and other dynamic biomolecular complexes;
- Advances in sample preparation, cryo-tomography, and time-resolved cryo-EM;
- Applications of Cryo-EM in drug discovery, structure-based inhibitor design, and disease-related biomolecular studies.
Through this collection, we aim to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state and future directions of Cryo-EM in biomolecular research, fostering discussion on how structural insights can drive mechanistic understanding and therapeutic innovation.
Dr. Gaya P. Yadav
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM)
- membrane protein structure
- cryo-tomography and 3D reconstruction
- advances in sample vitrification
- structure-guided drug discovery
- lipid–protein dynamics
- innovations in cryo-EM methodology
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