UPenn Institute of Structural Biology

Join the Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics, the Johnson Foundation Biophysics & Structural Biology Core Facility, & the @isbupenn.bsky.social on 3/10 for their Symposium on Analytical Ultracentrifugation! Learn more & register➡️ tinyurl.com/47s2vnmf

Seeing mechanisms of disease
Now online: “Seeing the mechanisms of disease with cryoEM” on Penn Medicine—how near-atomic views of molecules help us decode what goes wrong in illness. #cryoEM #SciComm
www.pennmedicine.org/news/seeing-...
@yiweichang.bsky.social @jrocereta.bsky.social

Freeze, image, cure
Our cryoEM feature series is live on Penn Medicine: “Freeze, image, cure.” A closer look at how we visualize biology to understand disease and speed discovery. #cryoEM #ISB
www.pennmedicine.org/news/freeze-...

Excited to share highlights of our recent discoveries by the Institute of Structural Biology at Penn Medicine. Made possible by our outstanding faculty, students, postdocs, and staff.
www.pennmedicine.org/news/freeze-...

Wishing you & yours a restful & restorative holiday break! We'll see you back online in 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣6️⃣! 💓✨

Visualization of lysosomal membrane proteins by cryo electron tomography ft. @bridget_mcveigh, José De Jesús-Pérez, @moiseenkovabell (@PennSysPharmATT), Prerana Gogoi, @MageswaranKumar & Elaine Mihelc (@isbupenn.bsky.social) @natcomms.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Congratulations!!!

Excited to share our latest @nature.com: How does naloxone (Narcan) stop an opioid overdose? We determined the first GDP-bound μ-opioid receptor–G protein structures and found naloxone traps a novel "latent” state, preventing GDP release and G protein activation.💊🧪 🧵👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

We’re proud to celebrate our institute associate director, Dr. Yi-Wei Chang, for being named the 2025 recipient of the Michael S. Brown New Investigator Research Award.

@yiweichang.bsky.social

Visualization of lysosomal membrane proteins by cryo electron tomography - Nature Communications Lysosomes are vital for cellular health and linked to many diseases. Here, authors use cryo-ET to image intact lysosomes and resolve lysosomal protein structures, providing a platform to advance the s...

Congrats Bridget McVeigh, José De Jesús-Pérez, Elaine Mihelc & Vera Moiseenkova-Bell on your first cryoET publication "Visualization of lysosomal membrane proteins by cryo electron tomography" #cryoET #lysosomes #TRPML1
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Happy to announce "Technical Innovations Using #SerialEM: A Community Meeting", a new format of hybrid meeting David Mastronarde and I are organizing in April 2026. For more info, a preliminary list of speakers, pre-registration etc. visit
www.nexperion.net/semcm2026

Congratulations!!!

...and big thanks to @jiwasa.bsky.social for making this amazing video to illustrate the strand-sliding mechanism!

Molecular basis of influenza ribonucleoprotein complex assembly and processive RNA synthesis Influenza viruses replicate and transcribe their genome in the context of a conserved ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. By integrating cryo–electron microscopy single-particle analysis and cryo–electro...

Excited to share our new @science.org paper! Led by postdocs Ruchao Peng and Xin Xu, we used cryo-EM/ET to reveal the influenza ribonucleoprotein complex structure and its strand-sliding mechanism for RNA synthesis, paving the way for new antivirals.
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Molecular basis of influenza ribonucleoprotein complex assembly and processive RNA synthesis Influenza viruses replicate and transcribe their genome in the context of a conserved ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex. By integrating cryo–electron microscopy single-particle analysis and cryo–electro...

Congratulations to Drs. Lynch, Burslem, Marmorstein, Yi-Wei, and the entire research team on the publication of your latest research article in the newest issue of Science magazine! | Science www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Join the Institute of Structural Biology on 5/21 for the 4th Structural Biology Symposium! Learn more & register➡️ isb.med.upenn.edu/4th-structur... @BB_UPenn

🔬 The 4th Structural Biology Symposium is almost here!
Don’t miss out—there’s still time to register.
bit.ly/4iM5QAm

Excited to see this out in @science.org today!! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Mechanism of actin filament severing and capping by gelsolin - Nature Structural & Molecular Biology The authors use cryo-electron microscopy to reveal two structural states of Ca2+-activated gelsolin bound to the actin filament, illuminating the mechanisms of filament severing and barbed end capping...

Congratulations to Roberto Dominguez and his lab on their latest Nature publication: "Mechanism of actin filament severing and capping by gelsolin"! 🧬 An exciting contribution to our understanding of cytoskeletal dynamics.📖 Read the full article here: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Registration is now open for the 4th Structural Biology Symposium.
Poster abstract submission is due on 4/15/2025. isb.med.upenn.edu/4th-structur...
🧬@Structuralbiology

Emily Whitehead and her father on CNN with Jake Tapper speaking to the value of science. She is alive thanks to CAR T therapy developed at Penn and CHOP.

A group of smiling women posing in front of Philadelphia city hall with a sign that reads “science not silence”.

A women at Philadelphia city hall with her face partially obscured by a sign that reads “science not silence”.

A pair of smiling women posing at Philadelphia city hall with a sign that reads “science not silence”.

Pharmacology 💊 women in STEM 👩🏻‍🔬 showed up & out for scientific funding! 🧬
#standupforscience2025
#standupforsciencephilly

Philadelphia Stand Up For Science! #standupforscience2025

Friday, March 7 · 11am - 1pm
Philadelphia City Hall

standupforscience2025.org

Snapshots of acyl carrier protein shuttling in human fatty acid synthase - Nature Using cryo-electron microscopy, the structures of mammalian fatty acid synthase reveal how the acyl carrier protein dynamically shuttles intermediates between selected active sites.

Congrats Kollin Schultz & Ronen Marmorstein Lab on your Nature publication: "Snapshots of acyl carrier protein shuttling in human fatty acid synthase"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
#cryoEM #StructuralBiology

Structural insights into TRPV2 modulation by probenecid Nature Structural & Molecular Biology - The authors reveal that probenecid, an FDA-approved drug, uniquely modulates TRPV2 through an intracellular pocket. Probenecid drives the channel into an...

Congrats Julia Rocereta & Moiseenkova-Bell Lab on your Nature Structural & Molecular Biology publication: "Structural insights into TRPV2 modulation by probenecid"
#cryoEM #TRPV2 #TRPchannels

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Institute of Structural Biology - University of Pennsylvania YouTube video by Institute of Structural Biology UPENN

www.youtube.com/watch?si=5b7...

Thrilled to share our work with the Ben Black Lab, led by co-mentored star MD/PhD student Katie Kixmoeller @pennmedicine.bsky.social, now in @cellcellpress.bsky.social ! We used cryo-ET to study kinetochore features in human mitotic chromosomes. 🧬🔬❄️
authors.elsevier.com/c/1kUW9L7PXq...