Press Release
Oct19

Laser phase plate for CryoEM

Holger Müller, UC Berkeley 

Monday, October 19, 2026 · 4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m.  PT

Abstract:  Electron cryo-microscopy (cryo-EM) has already had a revolutionary impact on single-particle structure analysis (SPA) and cell biology, but still falls far short of its theoretical capabilities. Here, we maximize image contrast by combining the laser phase plate (LPP) with spherical aberration (Cs) correction and in-focus data collection to greatly enhance structural analysis of small particles. We reconstruct the hemoglobin heterotetramer (64 kDa) to 2.1-Å resolution using 15-50× fewer particle images than conventional cryo-EM, and present sub-3A structures at and beyond the current size frontier of cryo-EM, such as the hemoglobin αβ heterodimer (32 kDa), carbonic anhydrase (29 kDa), and lysozyme (14 kDa).

About Holger Müller

Bio: Holger Müller is a physics professor at UC Berkeley doing strange things with electrons, lasers, and quantum mechanics. When he’s not trying to figure out whether gravity can entangle atoms, he can be found wondering whether there is a more efficient way to get through his email. His work has taken him deep into the world of imaging, where the experiments are complicated, the lasers are temperamental, but the electrons, at least occasionally, cooperate.

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