Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42189178›Full record

ReviewActa crystallographica. Section D, Structural biology2026

The evolving role of structural biology in pharma: integration of X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy and beyond.

Jill E Chrencik, Hua Poo Su, Yacob Gomez Llorente, Rachel L Palte, Daniel J Klein, Robert P Hayes, Sadie P Antine, Guilermo A Asmar-Rovira, Nicole Bertoletti, Noel J Byrne and 35 more

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Acta crystallographica. Section D, Structural biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

45 authors.

Jill E ChrencikDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.ORCID 0009-0005-6322-0478
Hua Poo SuDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3808-7837
Yacob Gomez LlorenteDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5505-4407
Rachel L PalteDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6146-0551
Daniel J KleinDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3533-3273
Robert P HayesDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-4947-4410
Sadie P AntineDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0843-2986
Guilermo A Asmar-RoviraDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
Nicole BertolettiDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5167-402X
Noel J ByrneDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6269-4878
Brittany L CarrollDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4199-7762
Ciro D CordeiroDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1581-718X
Kaylynn CurfmanEurofins Lancaster Laboratories, LLC, Lancaster, PA 17601, USA.
James DutkoDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9835-7531
Michael J EddinsDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0009-0006-1371-1997
Thierry FischmannDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.
Barani GovindarajanEvotec (US) Inc., Princeton, NJ 08540, USA.
Corey W HeckselDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9060-5673
Thu HoDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
Kaspar HollensteinDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7606-4105
Mee Ra HongDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2381-7684
Alan HruzaDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-8837-6368
Andrii IshchenkoDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3797-0604
Maru Jaime-GarzaDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.
Matt J JaremkoDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0340-4452
Hayley L KnoxDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Boston, MA 02115, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1467-309X
James KostasDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6996-0446
Harini KrishnamurthyDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9942-9365
Ioannis ManolaridisDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8444-317X
Cameron L NolandDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6364-3167
Andrea T PartridgeDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-2352-518X
Sangita B PatelDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
Paul ReichertDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., Rahway, NJ 07065, USA.
John C ReidDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
Catarina Felisberto-RodriguesDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-1928-6091
Chitra A ShintreDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-7225-7970
Jennifer M ShipmanDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0009-0004-9431-7777
Elakkiya TamilselvanDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2347-6805
Morgan E WalkerDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0234-1939
Susanne N WalkerDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0034-5362
Renjing WangDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., South San Francisco, CA 94080, USA.ORCID 0009-0003-3257-5140
Katharine M WrightDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9060-3849
Tien Jui YenDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.
Byung Kuk YooThermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA 02451, USA.
Sandra B GabelliDiscovery Chemistry, MRL, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1205-5204

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Structural biology has fundamentally influenced pharmaceutical research and development at Merck Sharp & Dohme LLC, Rahway, New Jersey, USA, progressing from pioneering macromolecular crystallography in the 1980s to a fully integrated platform that today encompasses X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy, micro-electron diffraction and cryo-electron tomography. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of how these complementary methods have advanced drug discovery across diverse therapeutic areas. We illustrate how atomic to cellular structural insights inform drug discovery and development, from target identification and validation, hit finding, lead identification through lead optimization and clinical progression. Furthermore, we describe how structural biology techniques aid in formulation strategies of antibodies and vaccines. Finally, we highlight the growing integration of ex situ and in situ approaches as a paradigm shift towards elucidating drug mechanisms in native cellular contexts, a transition poised to accelerate the discovery and development of next-generation therapeutics.

Indexed as

Cryoelectron MicroscopyDrug DiscoveryCrystallography, X-RayHumansModels, Molecularcryo-EMcryo-ETdrug developmentdrug discoveryformulationsindustrial structural biologyin situmicroEDstructure-based drug designX-ray crystallography

Identifiers

PMID42189178
PMCPMC13224919

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.