Designing next-generation enzymes for green manufacturing

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has recently emerged as a powerful tool for studying the structure and function of biological macromolecules at near-atomic resolution. Cryo-EM uptake is high and growing rapidly in North America, Europe and the Asia–Pacific region, but is underdeveloped in South Africa and absent in the rest of Africa. This means that African scientists lack crucial tools for tackling issues hampering economic development: clean energy and sustainable food production, waste management, green manufacturing and eradication of infectious diseases. The Electron Microscope Unit (EMU) at the University of Cape Town is the only facility in Africa with the capacity to conduct these experiments. Over the last five years, we have focused on building local cryo-EM competence through our project "Synchrotron Techniques for African Research and Technology in collaboration with Diamond Light Source". Our goal now is to expand access to this technique throughout the region through our Chan Zuckerberg Initiative-funded training programme "Cryo-EM for Southern Africa". Our long-term goal is to build a national core facility for advanced cryo-EM.