X-ray crystallography plays a steadily increasing role in fields such as structural chemistry,bioinformatics, nanotechnology, protein engineering, drug design, materials science, the study of gases, liquid crystals, minerals and polymers, and the rapid development and utilization of synchrotron radiation, neutron, and electron diffraction facilities.

The resolution revolution and tremendous growth in groundbreaking scientific results have recognized cryo-electron microscopy single particle analysis (cryo-EM SPA) as a main stream structure biology technique for the investigation of: ​ Dynamic biological processes​, Structures, such as membrane proteins that are difficult to resolve with other techniques, and Structures of protein complexes, aggregates and large virus assemblies​. ​Thermo Fisher Scientific provides a full workflow solution and gives advice to set up your cryo-EM laboratory.

Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson win the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their part in developing cryo-EM.