The new microscopes in the Astbury Centre for Structural Molecular Biology will enable transformation of research at the University of Leeds, and building of new collaborations in cryo-EM with academic and industrial researchers across the U.K. and Europe.
Hillsboro, Ore./November 9, 2015—FEI (NASDAQ: FEIC) today announced the receipt of a significant order for two Titan Krios™ cryo transmission electron microscopes (cryo-TEMs) from the University of Leeds, based in the United Kingdom. The Titan Krios is the most powerful high-resolution electron microscope for two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) characterization of protein structures and protein complexes.
“The Titan Krios is an amazingly powerful tool for structural biology that is in huge demand by researchers right now,” said Dr. Neil Ranson, Associate Professor, School of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Leeds. “Currently, there are only two Titan Krios systems in the U.K., with a couple more on the way. There is an insatiable demand for time on microscopes with these capabilities, and access is very difficult to come by. We are very excited to be able to purchase two Titan Krios systems with direct electron detecting cameras; they will help to establish Leeds as one of the leading centers for cryo-TEM research in the U.K. and in the world.”
“Cryo-TEM is undergoing unprecedented growth because improvements in microscopes and detectors now enable close-to-atomic resolution structures for many biological systems,” said Professor Sheena Radford, Astbury Professor of Biophysics and Director of the Astbury Centre. “However the full potential of cryo-EM will come as a result of the synergy with other technologies, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry (NMR). The University of Leeds is also acquiring a new, state-of-the-art 950MHz NMR instrument dedicated to biological research in the Astbury Centre.”
Peter Fruhstorfer, FEI’s Vice President and General Manager of the Life Sciences business, stated, “We are delighted that the University of Leeds has selected the Titan Krios TEM, and we anticipate great results from the University’s combined use of cryo-TEM, with XRD and NMR technology.” He adds, “The ability to purchase two systems is significant and will give the University the flexibility to conduct not only its own structural biology research, but also to build collaborations with researchers at other universities and institutions.”
The two Krios systems were purchased as part of a £17M investment from the University’s strategic reserves, an indication of the highest priority given to the acquisition by the University’s leaders. The initiative is also supported by a £1M award from the Wellcome Trust to support biomedical discovery.
The installation of the systems will begin in March 2016. For more information about the structural biology solutions from FEI, visit http://www.fei.com/life-sciences/structural-biology.
About the University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 31,000 students from 147 different countries, and a member of the Russell Group research-intensive universities. We are a top 10 university for research and impact power in the UK, according to the 2014 Research Excellence Framework, and positioned as one of the top 100 best universities in the world in the 2015 QS World University Rankings. www.leeds.ac.uk
About FEI
FEI Company (Nasdaq: FEIC) designs, manufactures and supports a broad range of high-performance microscopy workflow solutions that provide images and answers at the micro-, nano- and picometer scales. Its innovation and leadership enable customers in industry and science to increase productivity and make breakthrough discoveries. Headquartered in Hillsboro, Ore., USA, FEI has over 2,600 employees and sales and service operations in more than 50 countries around the world. More information can be found at: www.fei.com.
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