Advances in cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) demand extensible data management to bridge data acquisition and downstream analysis in single particle analysis (SPA) and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). We present a version of our data management Thermo Fisher CryoFlow software, addressing challenges in data transfer, quality assessment, and reporting and navigation across large, hierarchically organized data sets. The live export functionality in CryoFlow now supports both SPA and CET workflows, enabling high-throughput, near real-time movement of acquisition data from microscope servers to institutional storage while preserving data integrity. No additional software or custom scripting is required for data transfer, avoiding impact on acquisition robustness. Export functions, live or post-acquisition, support data filtering, helping downstream processing focus on the highest-quality data. An integrated SPA reporting capability compiles acquisition parameters and processing checkpoints into shareable summaries, capturing microscope preferences (e.g., voltage, pixel size, dose rate, etc.), and embedding representative images. Reports are exportable for collaboration, review, and tracking across facilities. For CET, in addition to multiple objective quality criteria—such as an AI-driven estimate of sample devitrification—user rating of tomograms can be applied within the viewer to streamline quality assessment during or immediately after data acquisition. Additionally, for CET and instruments equipped with Falcon 4i cameras, CryoFlow supports on-the-fly, motion-corrected 4K or 8K images, enabling balance sampling/file size for tilt-series acquisition. Navigation through data sets is improved through a filmstrip view, hierarchical step tree, and updated iconography, facilitating orientation and retrieval across complex projects. Backend and rendering optimizations increase web interface responsiveness. These developments accelerate data movement, enable adaptable exports, improve navigation and quality control, and formalize reporting—delivering a facility-ready framework that shortens the path from acquisition to structural insight in cryo-EM. This shows how the platform supports diverse lab data management needs and streamlines data handling.
Grollios et al. (Sun,) studied this question.