Just hatched: A new company and companion blog

Cryo-EM is a game of getting your ducks in a row. In this intricate dance, if a single element in your gene-to-structure workflow decides to waddle off, a bountiful feast of structures can swiftly dwindle into a famine. But the point here isn't to sell fear. Rather, it's to illuminate the unfolding promise of cryo-EM for the industry, a decade after the structures of the TRPV1 channel ignited a resolution revolution.

We're now standing at another pivotal moment in cryo-EM's industrial journey - the end of the beginning. A new era is being ushered in by groundbreaking technologies, including machine learning and AI, alongside an influx of industrial services and solutions, signifying the dawn of cryo-EM's industrialization. The payoff? Routine structure solving, higher resolutions, increased structure throughput, quicker turn-around times, and lower costs.

Such progress is prying open doors to utilize cryo-EM in innovative, fundamental ways, embedding it more tightly as a critical driver for drug design. The heightened capabilities of cryo-EM also hint at a future teeming with innovative, next-gen applications. These advancements allow us to rethink drug discovery quests which currently either do not utilize structures or do so only sparingly. This untapped potential for innovation is the raison d'être for cryoDuck. Our mission is to guide pharma and biotech companies in harnessing this rapid advancement and integrating it into their end-to-end processes.

CryoDuck works in close collaboration with best-in-breed solution providers, ensuring that innovative point solutions metamorphose into a comprehensive cryo-EM success equation. We're also partnering with biotech venture capitalists to incubate new companies. As I previously penned in an Endpoints News post, the visualization capability of cryo-EM can fuel novel drug discovery paradigms, either by integrating into existing bold drug discovery engines or even by serving as the founding pillar of a new company.

The solutions and consultancy that cryoDuck provides aim to deliver the cutting-edge potential of cryo-EM directly into the hands of these companies. As cryoDuck takes flight, we've launched the cryoDuck Blog to keep you abreast of the rapidly evolving landscape.

Here's what you can look forward to:

• Cryo-EM in Drug Discovery: This is where we delve into the heart of the action. I'll be highlighting and discussing published examples of cryo-EM that have direct implications on drug discovery. We'll dissect the value cryo-EM offers in these instances, how it has shaped outcomes and the lessons we can learn. This section is a testament to the ongoing impact of cryo-EM in the realm of drug discovery, an impact that continues to deepen with every passing day.

• Advances in Cryo-EM: This section is all about keeping our fingers on the pulse of progress. We'll explore new or significantly improved technologies, methodologies, and tools that are elevating the capabilities of cryo-EM for drug discovery. This is the place to learn about the innovations that are expanding our horizons and making cryo-EM more effective, efficient, and versatile in the pursuit of groundbreaking therapeutics.

• Careers in Cryo-EM: The journey is as crucial as the destination, and this section is dedicated to those making the journey in drug discovery. It's a space for candid discussions about careers, sharing advice and experiences, and learning from each other. I don't claim to have all the answers, but I believe in sharing the insights I have gained along my own path, as well as those generously shared by others. This section is intended to be a resource for you, the reader, to navigate your own career path in this exciting field.

Remember, your insights and questions are an essential part of this dialogue. So, feel free to share your thoughts, and let us know about specific topics you're interested in exploring. Welcome aboard the cryoDuck journey.