Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology

To address fundamental questions in neuroscience and immunology, and to create the blueprints for next-generation structural biology in cells and tissues through developing and integrating multiscale imaging technologies.

A next frontier in our understanding of biological mechanisms is the direct visualization of macromolecular complexes in situ. This challenge requires integrating multiple rapidly evolving technologies. The Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology, established in 2025 as part of the St. Jude Strategic Plan, deploys newly developed advanced imaging platforms and brings together a wide range of expertise to visualize cells and tissues from the atomic to the micron scale — and creates an unprecedented view of biological processes at the system level.

The center also aspires to play a leading role in shaping a culture of sharing expertise and data within the wider scientific community in order to accelerate progress in methods development.

With these technologies, basic and clinical researchers can investigate the mechanisms behind health and disease at the molecular level and pursue developing novel treatments.

The center has two primary focus areas:

• Deploy coordinated strategies connecting multidisciplinary labs across St. Jude to leverage advanced imaging technologies, integrative structural biology and biophysics to answer complex fundamental questions
• Develop a cohesive technology innovation platform incorporating highly skilled scientific expertise and novel approaches unique to St. Jude to connect with clinical researchers, external researchers and industry partners, and ultimately improve patient health

Scientific leadership

The Center of Excellence for Structural Cell Biology is led by founding director Georgios Skiniotis, PhD. The Skiniotis Lab focuses on mechanistic questions related to G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) signaling and pharmacology.

Newly recruited faculty members will be joining the center with research appointments in the departments of Structural Biology, Cell & Molecular Biology, and Host-Microbe Interactions. Along with Skiniotis, these faculty members will define and advise cross-center projects and help guide the center’s scientific strategy.

Technology and innovation

A newly formed group of scientists is focused on technology innovations and developing new tools and approaches to seeing and understanding the most fundamental inner workings of cellular life. Working in partnership with labs across St. Jude and industry partners, the center’s technology team conducts cutting-edge research and development and deploys new techniques and workflows through the Cryo-EM/ET center, a core facility in the Structural Biology department.

By integrating modalities, including implementing emerging capabilities in cryogenic electron tomography (cryo-ET) and volume electron microscopy (vEM) imaging, researchers will reveal fundamental biology.