PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Novel AI-based software enables quick and reliable imaging of proteins in cells

Max Planck researchers from Dortmund programmed a tool that accurately recognises and picks proteins in electron cryo-tomography, substituting troublesome hand selection

Novel AI-based software enables quick and reliable imaging of proteins in cells
2023-05-15
(Press-News.org) The more, the better

“TomoTwin paves the way for automated identification and localization of proteins directly in their cellular environment, expanding the potential of cryo-ET,” says Gavin Rice, co-first author of the publication. Cryo-ET has the potential to decipher how biomolecules work within a cell and, by that, to unveil the basis of life and the origin of diseases.

In a cryo-ET experiment, scientists use a transmission electron microscope to obtain 3D images, called tomograms, of the cellular volume containing complex biomolecules. To gain a more detailed image of each different protein, they average as many copies of them as possible – similar to photographers capturing the same photo at varying exposures to later combine them in a perfectly exposed image. Crucially, one has to correctly identify and locate the different proteins in the picture before averaging them. “Scientists can attain hundreds of tomograms per day, but we lacked tools to fully identify the molecules within them,” says Rice.

 

Hand-picking

So far, researchers used algorithms based on templates of already known molecular structures to search for matches in the tomograms, but these tend to be error-prone. Identifying molecules by hand is another option which ensures high-quality picking but takes days to weeks per dataset.

Another possibility would be to use a form of supervised machine learning. These tools can be very accurate but currently lack usability, as they require manually labelling thousands of examples to train the software for each new protein, an almost impossible task for small biological molecules in a crowded cellular environment.

 

TomoTwin

The newly developed software TomoTwin overcomes many of these obstacles: It learns to pick the molecules that are similar in shape within a tomogram and maps them to a geometric space – the system is rewarded for placing similar proteins near each other and penalised otherwise. In the new map researchers can isolate and accurately identify the different proteins and use this to locate them inside the cell. “One advantage of TomoTwin is that we provide a pre-trained picking model,” says Rice. By removing the training step, the software can even run on local computers – where processing a tomogram usually requires 60-90 minutes, runtime on the MPI supercomputer Raven is reduced to 15 minutes per tomogram.

TomoTwin allows researchers to pick dozens of tomograms in the time it takes to manually pick a single one, therefore increasing the throughput of data and the averaging rate to obtain a better image. The software can currently locate globular proteins or protein complexes larger than 150 kilodaltons in cells; in the future, the Raunser group aims to include membrane proteins, filamentous proteins, and proteins of smaller sizes.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Novel AI-based software enables quick and reliable imaging of proteins in cells

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Clinical trial of mRNA universal influenza vaccine candidate begins

Clinical trial of mRNA universal influenza vaccine candidate begins
2023-05-15
A clinical trial of an experimental universal influenza vaccine developed by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases’ (NIAID) Vaccine Research Center (VRC), part of the National Institutes of Health, has begun enrolling volunteers at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. This Phase 1 trial will test the experimental vaccine, known as H1ssF-3928 mRNA-LNP, for safety and its ability to induce an immune response. The trial will enroll up to 50 healthy volunteers aged ...

UArizona Health Sciences researchers unlocking new answers in the quest for safer, more effective opioid therapy

UArizona Health Sciences researchers unlocking new answers in the quest for safer, more effective opioid therapy
2023-05-15
TUCSON, Arizona — University of Arizona Health Sciences researchers are taking the foot off the brake in their quest to improve opioid therapy while decreasing its side effects.  Led by John Streicher, PhD, a Department of Pharmacology associate professor in the UArizona College of Medicine – Tucson and a member of the UArizona Health Sciences Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center, the researchers have expanded upon their previous research focused on one specific protein – heat shock protein 90 – and its role in opioid receptor activation and pain relief. Their prior investigations have ...

Dr. Laura Moyer elected as Fellow of ASM International

Dr. Laura Moyer elected as Fellow of ASM International
2023-05-15
Dr. Laura Moyer ’99 ’02G ’05 PhD, manager of metallography, light optical microscopy, and X-ray diffraction at Lehigh University, has been elected as a Fellow of ASM International, the leading association of engineers and scientists in the field of materials science. The honor recognizes Moyer’s “outstanding leadership and technical contributions to the education of personnel in both manufacturing and academia,” benefitting the field of materials science and engineering. The ...

Researchers design smaller, lighter space-based imaging spectrometers with high spectral resolution

2023-05-15
Researchers have developed a new smaller, lighter design for space-based imaging spectrometers with high spectral resolution. These high-dispersion imaging spectrometers could be used onboard spacecraft or satellites to study the Earth’s atmosphere or the atmospheres of other planets. James P. McGuire, Jr. from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California will present the new research at the Optica Design and Fabrication Conference, which will take place 04 – 08 June 2023 in Quebec City, Canada.  “This spectrometer provides the same measurement capabilities as conventional designs, but at one tenth the ...

Sleep Research Society announces 2023 award recipients

2023-05-15
DARIEN, IL – Four individuals have been selected as the 2023 Sleep Research Society award recipients for their outstanding contributions to the SRS, sleep and circadian science, and public health. They will be recognized Monday, June 5, during the plenary session of the SLEEP 2023 annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies in Indianapolis.    “The SRS awards recognize the highest achievements by sleep and circadian scientists whose work supports our mission to cultivate knowledge in the field and to optimize health and well-being,” said SRS President Namni Goel. “I congratulate these leaders ...

Physicists take the temperature of fluid flows and discover new role for turbulence

Physicists take the temperature of fluid flows and discover new role for turbulence
2023-05-15
A team of physicists has discovered a new role for a specific type of turbulence—a finding that sheds light on fluid flows ranging from the Earth’s liquid core to boiling water.  The research, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, centered on turbulent convection—the movement of fluid when heated from below. “Our experiments reveal intricate movements between a free-moving body and thermal convective flows,” says Jun Zhang, a professor of mathematics and physics at New York University and NYU Shanghai, the paper’s senior author. The study, which also included Kaizhe Wang, a researcher ...

Tiny proteins found across the animal kingdom play a key role in cancer spread

2023-05-15
Phosphatases of regenerating liver (PRLs) are a family of enigmatic proteins involved in cell growth and metabolism present in various species. From humans to fruit flies, they play a unique role in the growth of cancerous tumours and the spread of cancer throughout the body. New research emerging from McGill University is contributing to what is known about PRLs, which could potentially become an important tool in the development of cancer-fighting treatments.   Led by Kalle Gehring, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and founding director of the McGill Centre for Structural Biology, the researchers focused on unravelling the mystery around PRLs. “It's ...

Great inequality in international athletics

Great inequality in international athletics
2023-05-15
Athletes from less affluent countries need more education on health to prevent injuries during hard training. But, paradoxically, more knowledge can also increase the risk of injury if there is no access to medically trained expertise. This is the conclusion of researchers at Linköping University, Sweden, in a new study on inequality in athletics. “There were astronomical differences in support resources between juniors from different parts of the world. European competitors had entire medical teams and computer-based analysis programs ...

New DOE portal connects researchers and students with climate science and training opportunities

2023-05-15
The National Virtual Climate Laboratory (NVCL), a comprehensive web portal for climate science projects funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program, is now available. The NVCL is a portal for those who have a stake in the climate crisis, such as researchers, students, faculty, and other interested organizations. Portal users will be able to find a wide range of national laboratory experts, programs, projects, activities, ...

Alternating estrogen and anti-estrogen therapies is effective in treating metastatic breast cancer

2023-05-15
LEBANON, NH— Advanced or metastatic estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer is commonly treated with drugs that block the estrogen receptor. However, estrogens that stimulate the receptor can also be effective.  Building on their previous studies, researchers at Dartmouth Cancer Center recently concluded a Phase II clinical trial aimed to test the efficacy of alternating between estrogen stimulation and estrogen deprivation in patients with metastatic ER+ breast cancer, and to identify tumor characteristics that predict who might benefit from this strategy. The results, newly published ahead of print in Clinical ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Family-based intervention programs are insufficient to prevent childhood obesity, major study finds

Emotions expressed in real-time barrage comments relate to purchasing intentions and imitative behavior

Your genes could prune your gut bugs and protect you from disease

EMBARGOED MEDIA RELEASE: Breathlessness increases long-term mortality risk, Malawi study finds

Permeable inspection of pharmaceuticals goes in-line

Warming rivers in Alaska threaten Chinook salmon populations and Indigenous food security

New multi-disciplinary approach sheds light on the role of mitochondrial DNA mutations in cancer

Worms reveal just how cramped cells really are

Alzheimer’s disease digital resources lacking for Latinos, Hispanics in Los Angeles years after COVID-19, study finds

Chronic disease deaths decline globally, but progress is slowing

The Lancet: Chronic disease deaths decline globally, but progress is slowing

The Lancet: Parent-focused programs insufficient to prevent obesity in toddlers, finds meta-analysis; authors call for a re-think of childhood obesity prevention approaches

Study sheds light on hurdles faced in transforming NHS healthcare with AI

Astrocytic “brake” that blocks spinal cord repair identified

As farm jobs decline, food industry work holds steady

Kennesaw State researcher aiming to move AI beyond the cloud

Revolutionizing impedance flow cytometry with adjustable microchannel height

Treating opioid addiction in jails improves treatment engagement, reduces overdose deaths and reincarceration

Can’t sleep? Insomnia associated with accelerated brain aging

Study links teacher turnover to higher rates of student suspensions, disciplinary referrals

How harmful bacteria hijack crops

Crowded conditions muddle frogs’ mating choices

A new way to guide light, undeterred

Researchers uncover how COVID-19 may linger in cancer patients and affect treatment outcomes

Tiny metal figurines from Sardinia's Nuragic civilization in around 1,000 BC reveal extensive ancient Mediterranean metal trading networks

Natural microfibers may degrade differently to synthetic materials under simulated sunlight exposure in freshwater and seawater conditions, with implications for how such pollutants affect aquatic lif

Indian new mums report better postpartum wellbeing when their own mum acts as their primary support - while women whose mother-in-law is the primary caregiver instead report significantly lower overal

Young adult intelligence and education are correlated with socioeconomic status in midlife

Traditional and “existential” wellness vary significantly between US regions

Smartwatches detect early signs of PTSD among those watching coverage of the Oct 7 attacks in Israel

[Press-News.org] Novel AI-based software enables quick and reliable imaging of proteins in cells
Max Planck researchers from Dortmund programmed a tool that accurately recognises and picks proteins in electron cryo-tomography, substituting troublesome hand selection