Time-resolved cryo-EM using Spotiton

We present an approach for preparing cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) grids to study short-lived molecular states. Using piezoelectric dispensing, two independent streams of ~50-pl droplets of sample are deposited within 10 ms of each other onto the surface of a nanowire EM grid, and the mixing reaction stops when the grid is vitrified in liquid ethane ~100 ms later. We demonstrate this approach for four biological systems where short-lived states are of high interest. A spraying-mixing approach for preparing cryo-EM grids using the Spotiton robot allows time-resolved observations of short-lived biomolecular states.