IMpaCT Double Seminar

14h30

Title: Cryo-EM and Integrative Structural Biology at AstraZeneca

Speaker: Taiana Maia de Oliveira 

Abstract: Cryo-EM is rapidly gaining traction as an aid to medicinal chemistry within pharmaceutical companies, but it has also been extensively used for enlightening the molecular mode of action of important drug targets that eluded x-ray crystallography for years. In this talk, I will elaborate on the experience we have at AstraZeneca and on how the developments in the EM and Integrative Structural Biology  field allowed us to understand the activation of prominent oncology targets.

15h15

Title: Examination and characterization of a Lipid and Polymer based Nanoparticles by Cryo-EM - the Bluepharma reality

Speaker: António Lucas Nunes 

Abstract: Within the pharmaceutical industry, there is an increasing need to standardize the development of products in a complete way using 2 or more techniques with different fundamental principles. The above need describes orthogonality, which positions cryo electron microscopy with a fundamental role.

In this context, different case studies from the company Bluepharma will be presented. The lipid and polymer samples have been analysed by Cryogenic Electron Microscopy (cryo-EM). Cryo-EM allows to transform a liquid sample into a vitreous specimen by rapid cooling and permits to directly visualize and analyse particle morphology of colloids in aqueous solution, preserving its colloidal stability and particle typology. After the cryo-EM analysis, the obtained images were processed to obtain quantitative results regarding the particle area, perimeter, maximum diameter, circularity and aspect ratio.