Deciphering the 3D Structures of Engineered Biological Materials at Near Atomic Resolution Through Correlative Light and Cryogenic Electron Tomography

This project seeks to establish a transformative workflow that allows accurate location of fluorescence signals from pristinely preserved engineered biological materials in three dimensions. This will enable to seamlessly bridge the resolution gap between light microscopy and three-dimensional cryogenic electron tomography with high spatial accuracy. Our goal is to unravel the nanoarchitectures of engineered biological materials as well as the dynamic molecular profile of interfaces with embedded macromolecular machines. The investigations are expected to foster the development of new bio-enabled materials with emphases on biotic-abiotic interactions and interfaces, biochemical syntheses of new materials, and the integration of biological components.