Life Science applications of synchrotron light

Pharmaceutical companies and academic researchers are making increasing use of macromolecular crystallography. Improvements in the speed of data collection and solving structures mean that it is now possible to obtain structural information on a timescale that allows chemists and structural biologists to work together in the development of promising compounds into drug candidates.

Membrane proteins are estimated to represent up to 30% of the gene products of a typical genome, and are of considerable interest to the pharmaceutical industry (almost 50% of drug compounds in clinical use are targeted at membrane proteins). The microfocus MX beamline I24 and the onsite Membrane Protein Laboratory enable structural studies of this challenging group of proteins.

Non-crystalline diffraction studies are vital to gaining a better understanding of activities such as protein denaturation, emulsification and phase separation, binding and unbinding, and the control of interfaces. Some diseases involve a change in the fold of a protein, so that the protein becomes pathogenic (for example Creutzfeld-Jacob-Desease (CJD), Alzheimer's Disease, BSE).

Circular dichroism is a spectroscopic technique which enables the study of molecular interactions - an exponentially growing area in the field of structure-function relationships of biologically important molecules. Infrared microspectroscopy allows not only molecular identification but also spatial resolution, which is necessary to the understanding of the physical-chemical properties of the vast range of materials and surfaces that are organised on a microstructural level. These include biomedical samples like tissue and or single cells that can be mapped in plots showing molecular composition versus position by IR imaging technique.

To discuss possible life science experiments at Diamond, please contact Martin Walsh.

Potential industrial users should contact Elizabeth Shotton.

Listen to Diamond scientists and users talk about life science applications in the Diamond podcast

Life Science Highlights

• Taking control of our vital signal transmitters
  30 Jan 2012
  G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are the single most important drug target in the body because they are central to so many biological processes. Gaining a better understanding of how GPCRs operate will Read more...
• What becomes of the broken heart valves?
  22 Nov 2011
  Artificial heart valves have been used since the 1960s to replace natural heart valves damaged through disease. Each of four valves enables unimpeded blood flow through the heart itself and from the heart Read more...
• Towards understanding nanotoxicology
  28 Oct 2011
  Nanoparticles have been incorporated in many consumer products, however their safety and toxicity have not been clearly identified. This is made worse by difficulty in measuring how biological systems Read more...
• Structural studies in the fight against inherited disease
  20 Oct 2011
  Huntington’s disease (HD) is a dominantly-inherited neuropsychiatric disorder. Typically the symptoms begin in adulthood, slowly progressing from movement disorder to behavioural and cognitive disturbances, Read more...
• New knowledge will boost fight against superbug
  06 Sep 2011
  A breakthrough in the fight against drug-resistant infections is one step closer following the discovery of the structure of NDM-1: a vicious form of bacteria that is currently resistant to the most powerful Read more...