The Acharya Lab

We are pleased to announce that our manuscript, “An integrated workflow for structural virology with a 100 keV electron microscope,” is now available on bioRxiv:

An integrated workflow for structural virology with a 100 keV electron microscope

Cryo-EM has revolutionized structural biology, especially for flexible and heterogeneous samples, although access to high end microscopes that enable these studies remains a bottleneck. While 300 keV microscopes have been the go-to for high-resolution structural...

In this work, we present a complete and practical workflow for applying cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to structural virology using a 100 keV electron microscope – an instrument that can be easily integrated into a biochemistry laboratory and provides significantly greater accessibility than the high-end 200 keV and 300 keV systems traditionally required. The manuscript details optimized strategies for sample preparation, data acquisition, and image processing, demonstrating that high-quality structural information on viral specimens can be obtained with lower-voltage microscopes.

As owners of an in-house 100 keV Tundra microscope (Thermo Fisher Scientific), our lab has been able to rapidly iterate on sample optimization and data collection without relying on external facilities. This direct access has enabled efficient troubleshooting, streamlined workflows, and consistent data quality, allowing us to obtain high-resolution structures. Our experience highlights the practical advantages of local, lower-voltage cryo-EM for day-to-day structural virology research.

We have successfully determined structures of several important viral glycoproteins, including coronavirus spike proteins, HIV envelope trimers, and Henipavirus fusion (F) proteins, all using a 100 keV microscope. Beyond single-particle analysis, the 100 keV platform also enabled detailed visualization of supramolecular assemblies such as nanoparticles, liposomes, virus-like particles (VLPs), and intact viruses. These results underscore the versatility of lower-voltage cryo-EM for both high-resolution protein structure determination and the structural characterization of complex, heterogeneous biological assemblies.

Photo 1. Aaron waiting to give his dissertation presentation in the Bryan Research Building.

The Acharya Lab at Duke University is delighted to congratulate Dr. Aaron May on the successful defense of his doctoral dissertation, “Characterization of Novel and Diverse Henipavirus Glycoproteins,” presented to the Duke University Department of Biochemistry on October 28, 2025!

Aaron’s defense marks a special milestone as he becomes the first PhD graduate from the Acharya Lab. Aaron joined the Biochemistry PhD program in 2020 after completing his B.S. at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and became a member of the Acharya Lab in 2021. He was mentored by Dr. Priyamvada Acharya and personally thanked his committee members — Drs. Alberto Bartesaghi, Pei Zhou, Micah Luftig, and Kevin Saunders — for their support and guidance throughout his PhD journey.

Photo 2. 11:55 AM at the 103 Bryan Research Building lecture hall—five minutes before the official start of Aaron’s dissertation. The hexagonal photo features Aaron with his parents.

Fig 1. May AJ, et al. Structures of Langya Virus Fusion Protein Ectodomain in Pre- and Postfusion Conformation. J Virol. 2023

Among Aaron’s significant research contributions is his study titled “Structures of Langya Virus Fusion Protein Ectodomain in Pre- and Postfusion Conformation” (J. Virol., 2023), which revealed cryo-EM structures of the Langya virus fusion protein in both prefusion and postfusion conformations. This work identified unique surface features and fusion mechanisms that expand our understanding of Henipavirus evolution and inform future vaccine design. His most recent study, “Structural and Antigenic Characterization of Novel and Diverse Henipavirus Glycoproteins”, currently under review, builds on this foundation by examining a broad panel of henipavirus antigens.

Beyond his primary thesis project, Aaron also contributed to collaborative efforts in the lab, including structural studies on SARS-CoV-2, further demonstrating his versatility and dedication to advancing viral structural biology.

Photo 3. Celebrating Aaron’s successful defense. (Left) Dr. Priyamvada Acharya and Dr. Aaron J May. (Right) Aaron raising his glass in a toast.

Throughout his graduate career, Aaron has been recognized for his scientific rigor, collaborative spirit, and mentorship of junior trainees in the lab. The Acharya Lab celebrates his hard work, perseverance, and many accomplishments during his PhD. Way to go, Dr. May!

At last! We’re excited to announce that the Acharya Lab website is now officially live. It is now linked on both the Duke Human Vaccine Institute and the Duke Biochemistry Department websites.

Many thanks to the members of the Acharya Lab for their valuable feedback and suggestions, which were instrumental in building this website. Moving forward, we’ll continue to make updates as new members join the lab, new papers are published, and fun and exciting events take place!

Special thanks to Rasangi and Salam for the incredible talent and effort they brought to this project—it’s thanks to them that we now have this beautiful website. I’ll end this post with a photo I took—the very first one for this project, in fact—back in April, during the early stages of the Acharya Lab website development:

– Ki

At last, in the seventh year of the Acharya Lab at Duke University School of Medicine, the team has decided to launch a website for the group! Our goal is to have a functional version of the website ready before the Fall 2025 semester.

Anyways, here is the list of current website developers:

• Rasangi Pathirage, Ph.D.
• Salam Sammour
• Ki Song

….

Let’s see how this goes!

With all 23 members of the Acharya Lab present today, we couldn’t miss the chance to capture the moment. Group Photo Day was officially a success! 

There were laughs, mild confusion over where to stand, and at least one person blinking in every shot, but we got the photos!

Here’s to a full house, great science, and a team that keeps growing in size and spirit.

Ruth, Ellie, and Aaron represented the Acharya Lab at the 9th Annual Duke Department of Surgery Research Day on April 30th, 2025. A great day of sharing posters, connecting with fellow researchers, and celebrating all the exciting work happening across Duke!

The Acharya Lab headed to sunny Los Angeles for the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting 2025, held February 15–19.

Bhishem, Murali, Ellie, Aaron and Alex actively participated, sharing our work through both verbal presentations and poster sessions. Murali also co-chaired the “Protein Structure and Conformation” session, contributing to some engaging discussions on the latest in structural biophysics. It was a great opportunity to connect with fellow scientists, exchange ideas, and showcase what our team has been up to.

A big thank you to the Biophysical Society for hosting such a fantastic meeting combining excellent science with a bit of West Coast sunshine made it all the better!

Looking forward to what’s next!

The Acharya Lab is starting the new year with big ideas, fresh energy, and probably way too many snacks in the break room already! Cheers to a year full of good vibes, great teamwork, cool experiments, strong coffee, and even stronger science!

The Acharya Lab joined in the festive fun at the DHVI Holiday Party 2024 and we had a blast! This year’s highlight? Our team “The Pro-peptides”  led by Victor and joined by Xiao, Rasangi, Ujjwal, and visiting trainee Emma (from Dr. Amith Sharma’s lab), won the DHVI Reindeer Games for the second year in a row!