Titan Krios–Class Cryo-EM as Research Infrastructure: Workflows, Automation, and Shared-Access Models

David Aphkhazava; Levan Gulua; Cezar Goletiani; Nino Nebieridze; Nino Maziashvili; Nodar Sulashvili; Mzia Tsiklauri; Archil Chirakadze; Manana Makharadze; Lolita Shengelia; Tamar Okropiridze

Authors

David Aphkhazava PhD, Professor, University of Grogia, Tbilisi, Georgia. Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0001- 6216-6477
Levan Gulua PhD, Professor, Head of bachelor program of Biomedicine at University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
Cezar Goletiani Professor at Free University of Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia, Head scientist at Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia
Nino Nebieridze Associate Professor at Free University of Tbilisi, Tbilisi, Georgia
Nino Maziashvili Associate Professor, University of Georgia, Tamar Gagoshidze Neuropsychology Center, Tbilisi, Georgia
Nodar Sulashvili MD, PhD, Doctor of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences In Medicine, Invited Lecturer (Professor) of Scientific Research-Skills Center at Tbilisi State Medical University; Professor of Medical and Clinical Pharmacology of International School of Medicine at Alte University; Professor of Pharmacology of Faculty of Medicine at Georgian National University SEU, Associate Affiliated Professor of Medical Pharmacology of Faculty of Medicine at Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University; Associate Professor of Medical Pharmacology at School of Medicine at David Aghmashenebeli University of Georgia; Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Pharmacology Direction of School of Health Sciences at the University of Georgia. Associate Professor of Pharmacology of Faculty of Dentistry and Pharmacy at Tbilisi Humanitarian Teaching University; Tbilisi, Georgia; Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9005-8577.
Mzia Tsiklauri PhD, Affiliated Professor of the Medical Programs of Gr.Robakidze University, Microbiology, Immunology, Virology, Infection Control.Invited Professor of the Medical Programs of Alte University, Tbilisi, Georgia. Invited Professor of the Medical Programs of Caucasus International University, Laboratory Medicine, Tbilisi, Georgia. Member of the Georgian Immunologists Association, Member of the Accreditation Council of the Quality Development, Center of the Ministry of Education of Georgia
Archil Chirakadze PhD, Georgian Technical University Institute "Techinform", Tbilisi, Georgia, Georgian Technical University Institute of Cybernetics, Tbilisi, Georgia, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University Institute of Physics, Tbilisi, Georgia
Manana Makharadze Prof. David Agmashenebeli University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia.
Lolita Shengelia PhD, Invited lecturer of Georgian National University, Tbilisi, Georgia; Invited lecturer of Georgian American University, Tbilisi, Georgia
Tamar Okropiridze MD, PhD, Doctor Medical Sciences, Academician, Professor of the Division of Dentistry of International School of Medicine at Alte University; Invited Professor of Dentistry Department of The School of Health Sciences at The University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia

Abstract

Titan Krios–class 300 kV cryogenic transmission electron microscopes (cryo-TEMs) have fundamentally shifted cryo-EM from an expert-driven, low-resolution specialty into a shared, facility-grade research platform that routinely supports near-atomic to atomic structure determination, and increasingly, in situ cellular structural biology via cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). This transformation is best framed as an infrastructure story: hardware evolution (direct electron detectors, energy filtering, stable 300 kV optics, the next-generation Krios 5 platform launched in April 2025), software maturation (motion correction, Bayesian reconstruction, deep-learning particle pickers, and now fully integrated AI end-to-end pipelines), and operational models (remote-access automation, national service centers, shared pharmaceutical facilities).

The Electron Microscopy Data Bank (EMDB) surpassed 50,000 cumulative depositions in 2025 and recorded more than 10,000 new releases in a single calendar year for the first time—a quantitative marker of the technique's maturity and scale [1, 2]. The global cryo-EM structure analysis services market was valued at USD 1.30 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 2.51 billion by 2032 [3]. Specimen preparation—vitrification—remains the primary rate-limiting step even as downstream imaging and computing reach near-factory throughputs, and it is now the focus of intense automation efforts including novel droplet-based and MEMS nanofluidic approaches [4, 5]. The most significant recent software development is the emergence of fully integrated AI platforms—exemplified by the SMART platform (2025)—that chain automated data collection, 3D reconstruction, and atomic model building into a single, web-accessible workflow [6]. These trends collectively point toward a near-future of 'push-button' cryo-EM that is accessible to researchers with minimal specialist training.

Titan Krios–Class Cryo-EM as Research Infrastructure: Workflows, Automation, and Shared-Access Models

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