The project has been selected in the call for Institutional Singular Grants, funded by the Department of Research and Universities of the Generalitat of Catalonia and European funds, and is led by the ALBA Synchrotron in collaboration with the CSIC and the IRB Barcelona.

The cryo-electron tomography is a technique key in structural biology because it allows obtaining 3D images of macromolecules, cells, and tissues with atomic resolution. It has direct applications in research on infectious diseases, cancer or the development of new therapies.

This technology will complement the existing capabilities at the ALBA Synchrotron, such as X-ray crystallography, X-ray microscopy, infrared microscopy, and phase-contrast X-ray microscopy and tomography.

The integration of this new equipment will promote the development of multimodal and correlative studies in which the same sample can be analyzed using different experimental techniques. This approach is essential for addressing complex challenges in health and biomedicine, covering multiple spatial scales, levels of biological organization and types of structural, chemical and functional information.

The project has a total budget of 7 million euros, 50% of the funding comes from the 2024 call for Institutional Singular grants, from the Department of Research and Universities of the Government of Catalonia and European funds, while the remaining 50% is contributed by the ALBA Synchrotron, the CSIC and the IRB Barcelona. The project remains open to the future participation of other institutions for its development and operation with the right of priority access.

The new cryo-microscope will be located in a new building whose construction is planned for the next three years, and which will be connected to the experimental room of the future ALBA II beamline CORUS, dedicated to nano-imaging and nano-spectroscopy. Both facilities will share sample preparation laboratories and scientific and technical capabilities.

It will operate at 300 kV and will offer contrast levels and signal-to-noise ratio of among the most advanced internationally. Together with the correlative techniques of ALBA and the future of ALBA II, this new platform will place the ALBA Synchrotron among the pioneering infrastructures on a global scale in the field of biomedical nano-imaging.

The new microscope will be available to the entire scientific community, with a competitive access system for national and international research groups, and will constitute a strategic innovation tool for the pharmaceutical and health sector industry.