What is Cryo-EM technology? Why is it important?
Cryo-EM, short for “cryogenic-sample electron microscopy,” is an extremely powerful technology that won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 because of its breakthrough capabilities in imaging. It allows researchers to view structures like molecules, proteins, cells, and viruses more closely than ever before — even at the atomic level under the right conditions.
The benefits and potential applications of cryo-EM are virtually endless, but simply put, in the world of medical research, the better we can understand the particularities of a structure or process, the closer we get to developing more effective treatments and health outcomes for all of us.
What are the specific products or outputs that are generated at The Hormel Institute?
At The Hormel Institute, we perform foundational cancer and biomedical research that has the potential to lead to new cures and treatments for a range of health conditions. Cryo-EM plays a significant role in many of our ongoing research projects, and the technology has been used for Alzheimer’s disease, COVID-19, and other applications.
Are we seeking federal grants to fund this project?
The Hormel Institute has received $1.5 million in federal funds to support key equipment purchases for MBiC thus far and will continue to seek additional funding opportunities from federal and other sources.
What is the economic impact of new recruits?
MBiC will recruit employees (faculty and support staff), providing a positive impact on the local economy, from housing to local hotels, restaurants, and other businesses. 10 new faculty and staff will be hired at The Hormel Institute, and three new faculty members have already been hired.
Will UMN or Mayo Clinic aim to duplicate this?
The Hormel Institute is the recognized leader of this technology in Minnesota and has secured expert cryo-EM researchers and developed collaborations and partnerships with UMN and Mayo Clinic to use our facility.
What is the lifespan of this technology? Will it be outdated in a couple of years?
The answers to many fundamental research questions rely on a more comprehensive understanding of microscopic structures we’ve only recently been able to view in such high resolution thanks to tools like cryo-EM and cryo-ET.
With such a broad range of potential applications and such high demand among researchers, we anticipate cryo-EM and other state-of-the-art technologies provided by MBiC will remain highly relevant for the foreseeable future. Additionally, the expanded infrastructure created by this project also reserves space for further bioimaging expansion over the next 20 years.
Will others pay to use MBiC — and create a revenue stream for The Hormel Institute?
Researchers throughout the entire state of Minnesota will have the opportunity to lease available MBiC technologies, providing additional income for the Institute.
What are all the things MBiC can be used for?
The state-of-the-art technologies that will be made available by MBiC, including cryo-EM, have a broad range of potential applications for innovation in science, medicine, agriculture, industry, and more.
In addition to cancer, The Hormel Institute will study viruses, prions, and other biomedical diseases. These have included coronavirus, and soon, research on prions such as those that cause chronic wasting disease in deer will begin with collaborating state researchers at UMN.
Mayo Clinic has sought collaboration with The Hormel Institute since our acquisition of this technology in 2017. Researchers from Mayo Clinic use The Hormel Institute facilities to study a range of proteins associated with cancer and other human diseases.
We expect many users from outside the Institute to use MBiC facilities for a range of additional research purposes.