{"id":5585,"date":"2016-08-11T00:00:31","date_gmt":"2016-08-11T04:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.consigli.com\/?p=5585"},"modified":"2020-12-09T11:05:50","modified_gmt":"2020-12-09T16:05:50","slug":"precision-work-building-new-englands-first-cyro-electron-microscopy-facility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.consigli.com\/precision-work-building-new-englands-first-cyro-electron-microscopy-facility\/","title":{"rendered":"New England\u2019s First-of-its-Kind Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"EmailBlast_Header_UMASS_Final\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Transforming\u00a0Science<\/h3>\n

When the life science research equipment you are building a home for is recognized for revolutionizing structural biology and deemed the \u201cresearch method of the year\u201d by Nature magazine \u2014 not to mention is a more than $10 million investment \u2014 the facility to host it needs to function very, very well. It helps if it looks good, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody wants it,\u201d Chen Xu, PhD, says of the Titan Krios cryo-electron microscope (cryo-EM). Xu, who is a physicist, materials scientist and electron microscopist, has been appointed Director of UMass Medical School\u2019s first cryo-EM microscopy facility \u2014 also the first-of-its kind in New England. This new breed of cryo-electron microscope is able to process images of particles at near-atomic level by first plunging the sample into liquid nitrogen. Opening this fall, the facility will further research for a consortium of academic and commercial partners.<\/p>\n

Built and designed by the team of Consigli Construction Co., Inc. and healthcare architects TRO, it is not surprising that the construction of this cryo-EM facility requires a level of precision on par with the research equipment it hosts, as well as ultra-clear communication between scientists like Xu and the project team.<\/p>\n

Crucial: Controlling the Environment<\/h3>\n

Internationally recognized for his cryo-EM expertise, Xu explains what is most crucial, \u201cThis machine is very cutting edge, it is very delicate, so we need its environment to be perfect: vibration control, the room acoustics \u2014 how quiet it is in the room \u2014 assuring a stable temperature, and that it\u2019s protected from electromagnetic interference. All this needs to be done precisely. We are very picky.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the most important new tools for drug design and development, cryo-EM is playing a critical role in identifying likely therapeutic approaches to a broad range\u00a0of diseases, particularly neurological disorders like Alzheimer\u2019s, immunological disorders and diabetes. \u201cIn the past four years, advances have made this technology very applicable \u2014 all the drug designers, all the pharmaceutical companies are rushing to it,\u201d explains Xu.<\/p>\n

At 4,100-square-feet, the heart of the new facility is its 2,000-square-foot microscopy suite, which hosts the facility\u2019s two microscopes: the Titan Krios, one of the most sophisticated cryo-EMs in the world, as well as the powerful, versatile Talos-Arctica. Xu explained that the microscopes\u2019 environment can only have a 0.1 degree change in an hour, and that the relative humidity must always be below 20 percent. To oversee these conditions, the suite is being built with round-the-clock remote monitoring systems so Xu and his team will know if there is any variation in the rooms\u2019 environment.<\/p>\n

Eight Layers of Protection<\/h3>\n

To build this facility to its exacting requirements for vibration, acoustical and climate control, the team is essentially building a five-roomed box, constructed with eight-layered walls, floors and ceilings, encompassing the rooms which host the microscopes as well as two observer viewing rooms. Almost two feet thick, this layered construction isolates and protects the microscopes and the immediately adjacent spaces that support their use, from noise, sound and movement, creating the stable environment that is essential to produce accurate research results.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of science in this design and construction,\u201d says TRO\u2019s Project Architect Jacob Levine.<\/p>\n

Consigli\u2019s Project Manager, Mark Morrow, agrees. Describing the complexity and purpose of this layered construction, Morrow gives an overview, \u201cIf you look at\u00a0an architectural cross section of the suite, you see that these eight layers include an outer layer of one inch gypsum wallboard, next there are six-inch wood studs. It is notable that we are using wood studs \u2014rather than the more typical metal studs \u2014which we can\u2019t use here because of the need to eliminate vibration.<\/p>\n

Morrow continues, \u201cOver the wood studs is a layer of three-quarter inch plywood to which is attached a quarter-inch thickness of aluminum sheeting. These sheets then must be welded together seamlessly, with the welds ground down so the surface is completely smooth\u2014this is essential to protect the space from electromagnetic interference. Then, over the aluminum panels we have installed one-inch-thick acoustical drywall panel, \u2018Quiet Rock,\u2019 which incorporates a damping technique called \u2018constrained-layer damping,\u2019 creating a higher ability to dampen vibrational and acoustical energy. Next come four-inch-thick \u2018Sonex\u2019 foam acoustical panels \u2014 they almost look like gym mats. Then we attached three-inch wood block anchors \u2014 a special piece custom-designed by our in-house carpentry team \u2014 to the Sonex panels to assure the secure attachment of the final layer, the four-inch-wide cooling panels.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking Care, Building for Healthcare<\/h3>\n

Morrow also noted that when the high quality of welding work required for the metal panels is done within a healthcare facility, it requires special mitigation to limit smoke and smell. \u201cWhile we are building the microscope facility in its ideal location from the point of view of creating a stable environment \u2014 at the basement level \u2014 making sure we created an effective strategy to ventilate any smoke and smell created by the welding, was important so it wouldn\u2019t affect the healthcare environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Morrow adds, \u201cOne of the most important aspects has been our coordination with all the trades and specialty subcontractors needed to create this special environment \u2014 not to mention working with the facilities director, Chen Xu, and our UMass user group.<\/p>\n

A Specialized Team<\/h3>\n

\u201cThe go-to man at the center of all this is our Superintendent, Tim Backlin. Tim is our glue, he coordinates all the detail and connects with literally everyone \u2014 from responding to concerns raised by Chen, to overseeing our in-house carpentry team, to working with the specialists that the microscopes\u2019 manufacturer recommends.\u201d Bringing highly specialized skill to the project, these firms include the electromagnetic shielding company, Vitatech Electromagnetics \u2014 working with the team on the reduction of electron magnetic waves \u2014 as well as vibration control expert, TMC, who is helping the team take care of any disturbance in the building that would be in danger of decoupling the microscopes.<\/p>\n

Describing the collaboration with the Consigli\/TRO team, Xu noted, \u201cThey are very professional, and open to all the questions, worries from our end. We want researchers to be able to use the microscopy rooms in the most comfortable, most efficient ways possible. So it is important to consider every detail. You need to consider \u2018Where will this port come into the room?\u2018 \u2018How do we create a location for the liquid nitrogen tanks so they can be easily replaced without accidentally interfering with the microscopes?\u2019 It is so important to understand and build this from the users\u2019 point of view. It\u2019s so important, if you miss the details then in the end you have a problem. Just yesterday I saw the Superintendent Tim Backlin and the team working with the acoustical isolation foam panels, they needed to cut them. They cut it so precisely. That kind of professional workmanship, I like to see it. I took pictures! This is a real detailed business, it matters very much if you are missing details for this kind of project \u2014 it can ultimately have an effect on the data.\u201d<\/p>\n

Xu, who intends to write a guideline for the building of future cryo-EM facilities, also emphasized how valuable it is for scientists like him to see three-dimensional design images during the design process, \u201cBecause we\u00a0are not as familiar with looking at drawings, virtual views of the spaces helps users understand what is intended. It is good for the communication process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Data Critical<\/h3>\n

To support the work of this equipment, the facility also includes a lab for the preparation of research samples, staff offices, a large mechanical room, room for a possible third microscope, and the facility\u2019s extensive computer resources. Xu explains, \u201cWe are talking about a lot of data that results from the cryo-EM data gathering process. To see the particle\u2019s structure we usually need about 100,000 particle projections, the same particle showing up in all these different orientations. The critical point is your data. If the data is not good, you won\u2019t get anywhere with your research.\u201d With this central concern for data quality, Xu and his team will train researchers to properly prepare their samples, too.<\/p>\n

Delivered this summer to the medical school in 19 crates, the new Titan Krios microscope will be assembled and tested over the next two months, in preparation for the facility\u2019s opening this fall. Once assembled, the box-like form of the Titan Krios will measure close to 13 and a half feet tall \u2014 and gathering data for each sample will take four-to-five days.<\/p>\n

This is not the microscope of high school bio lab days. The purchase of the Titan Krios system is supported by a five million dollar grant from the Massachusetts Life Science Center, while the facility\u2019s second microscope system, the Talos-Arctica, is being paid for by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.<\/p>\n

With some good fortune \u2014 and continued precision \u2014 it\u2019s exciting to imagine what the cryo-EM\u2019s research results will offer the future.<\/p>\n

View our full case study here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Transforming\u00a0Science When the life science research equipment you are building a home for is recognized for revolutionizing structural biology and deemed the \u201cresearch method of the year\u201d by Nature magazine \u2014 not to mention is a more than $10 million investment \u2014 the facility to host it needs to function<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-insights"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nNew England\u2019s First-of-its-Kind Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility - Consigli Construction<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.consigli.com\/precision-work-building-new-englands-first-cyro-electron-microscopy-facility\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"New England\u2019s First-of-its-Kind Cryo-Electron Microscopy Facility - 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