CryoWrite® is a Swiss-based biotech company and a start-up of the University of Basel. The vision of cryoWrite is to (i) accelerate structure-based drug design by improving the protein structure determination workflow and (ii) enable novel analytical methods for biomedical research. The cryoWriter is our first tool to reach this goal: a robot for cryo-EM sample preparation that addresses a central bottleneck for structure determination by cryo-EM.
Cryo-EM is today’s fastest-growing method to determine the atomic structure of biomacromolecules. For a long time, X-ray analysis of three-dimensional crystals has dominated the determination of the tertiary protein structure at atomic resolution. In the last decade, cryo-EM methods have made impressive progress, benefitting from improved hardware and software. Consequently, cryo-EM has evolved into one of the structural biologist’s driving methods for structure determination, as indicated by an exponential growth of atomic structures solved by the single-particle analysis approach and entered into the protein databank.
Notably, the single-particle approach allows the structure determination of proteins without crystallization. As a result, cryo-EM is mainly complementary to X-ray methods, especially for large proteins and complexes that are difficult to crystallize. cryo-EM can thus provide structural information on the structure of otherwise inaccessible biomolecules.
One bottleneck in the cryo-EM workflow that has remained is sample preparation. To overcome this hurdle, cryoWrite has developed unique microfluidic methods for protein isolation, sample preparation, and nano-analytics. Our cryoWriter’s unique combination of automation, microfluidic protein purification, and loss-free (i.e., without blotting) nanoliter grid writing opens new avenues for efficient and reproducible sample preparation to leverage cryo-EM technology.
Founders
Andreas Engel, PhD, Prof. Em.
CSO
Andreas holds a PhD in physics. He worked on laser physics and holography before joining the Biozentrum Basel. He pioneered STEM and AFM imaging in biology and initiated the Nanoscience Curriculum. After retiring from the University Basel, he was appointed at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and later at the University of Delft for cryo-EM of membrane proteins.
Thomas Braun, PhD
Board member
Thomas is a trained biophysicist. During his PhD, he studied membrane proteins by electron microscopy. Later, he worked on nanomechanical sensors. Thomas and his graduate students work on combining microfluidics of the cryoWriter with electron microscopy, focusing on single-cell proteomics to study neurodegenerative diseases.
Hans-Andreas Engel, PhD
President of Board
Hans-Andreas’ background is in theoretical physics and quantitative finance. His academic and entrepreneurial achievements range from a Science publication to starting various profit-generating operations. In addition, he is active as a business angel in over ten startups. Further, he is experienced in building robust and complex IT infrastructure automation and real-time data processing. At cryoWrite, he can leverage these skills and work on strategic planning, business decisions, physics modeling, and software architecture.
The team
Nicolás Candia
Mechanical engineering
Nicolás developed early a strong fascination for theoretical and practical physics. Following his passion, he studied mechanical engineering at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) and completed his master’s in biomedical robotics. For Nicolás, a dream came true: developing a robot in our biotech startup. He is now a driving force in innovation: using robotization in an interdisciplinary field at the cutting edge.
Alejandro Lorca Mouliaá
CTO
Alejandro studied electrical and mechatronic Systems engineering at top universities in Spain and Germany. From the beginning, he was interested in the intersection of software and hardware. He worked on various interdisciplinary projects, including solar technology, embedded systems, electric vehicles, and autonomous robotics. At cryoWrite, Alejandro can fully employ his diverse experience and cutting-edge robotic skills to provide innovative solutions for more efficient scientific discoveries.
Armin Ruf, PhD
Product manager
Armin is a scientist in structural biology and biophysics. His expertise ranges from soluble to membrane protein targets and from small molecule to antibody drugs. He has a long track record as leader of structural biology and biophysical assays groups in the pharmaceutical industry. There he also led drug discovery research collaborations with CROs, universities, and startups.
