Methods Development for Serial Protein Crystallography
Event details
| Date | 04.06.2025 |
| Hour | 12:00 › 13:00 |
| Speaker | Michal W. Kepa, PhD., Laboratory of Biomolecular Research, Centre for Life Sciences, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen-PSI (CH) |
| Location | |
| Category | Conferences - Seminars |
| Event Language | English |
BIOENGINEERING SEMINAR
Abstract:
Instrumentation and methods development are crucial in overcoming the technical challenges involved in addressing fundamental scientific questions. This importance cannot be overstated, especially with the advent of next-generation synchrotrons (including the Swiss Light Source 2.0) and X-ray free-electron lasers (such as SwissFEL), where new sample manipulation and delivery techniques are essential to fully harness the power of these X-ray sources in structural biology.
In my presentation, I will review sample delivery methods for serial protein crystallography, where each crystal sample must be replenished before subsequent X-ray exposures. These methods include liquid jets, high-viscosity extrusion (HVE) injectors, fixed-target supports, and acoustic ‘drop-on-demand’ systems¹⁻². I will highlight the activities of the Time-Resolved Structural Biology Group based at the Paul Scherrer Institute³⁻⁷. In particular, I will describe two topics: 1) our latest ongoing development of fixed-target supports for time-resolved experiments at the Cristallina endstation at SwissFEL, which includes laser-activated reactions as well as diffusion/mixing experiments, as well as 2) the development of temperature-dependent serial crystallography at next-generation synchrotron sources.
References:
1. Cheng, R. K. Y. Crystals 10, 1–27 (2020).
2. Grünbein, M. L. & Kovacs, G. N. Acta Crystallogr. Sect. D Struct. Biol. 75, 178–191 (2019).
3. Weinert, T. et al. Nat. Commun. 8, 542 (2017).
4. Weinert, T. et al. Science 365, 6448 (2019).
5. Skopintsev, P. et al. Nature 583, 314–318 (2020).
6. Wranik, M. et al. Nat. Commun. 14, 903 (2023).
7. Kepa, M. et al. Nat. Commun. 14, 7956 (2023).
Zoom link for attending remotely: to be communicated
Instructions for 1st-year Ph.D. students planning to attend this talk, who are under EDBB’s mandatory seminar attendance rule:
IN CASE you cannot attend in-person in the room, please make sure to
Abstract:
Instrumentation and methods development are crucial in overcoming the technical challenges involved in addressing fundamental scientific questions. This importance cannot be overstated, especially with the advent of next-generation synchrotrons (including the Swiss Light Source 2.0) and X-ray free-electron lasers (such as SwissFEL), where new sample manipulation and delivery techniques are essential to fully harness the power of these X-ray sources in structural biology.
In my presentation, I will review sample delivery methods for serial protein crystallography, where each crystal sample must be replenished before subsequent X-ray exposures. These methods include liquid jets, high-viscosity extrusion (HVE) injectors, fixed-target supports, and acoustic ‘drop-on-demand’ systems¹⁻². I will highlight the activities of the Time-Resolved Structural Biology Group based at the Paul Scherrer Institute³⁻⁷. In particular, I will describe two topics: 1) our latest ongoing development of fixed-target supports for time-resolved experiments at the Cristallina endstation at SwissFEL, which includes laser-activated reactions as well as diffusion/mixing experiments, as well as 2) the development of temperature-dependent serial crystallography at next-generation synchrotron sources.
References:
1. Cheng, R. K. Y. Crystals 10, 1–27 (2020).
2. Grünbein, M. L. & Kovacs, G. N. Acta Crystallogr. Sect. D Struct. Biol. 75, 178–191 (2019).
3. Weinert, T. et al. Nat. Commun. 8, 542 (2017).
4. Weinert, T. et al. Science 365, 6448 (2019).
5. Skopintsev, P. et al. Nature 583, 314–318 (2020).
6. Wranik, M. et al. Nat. Commun. 14, 903 (2023).
7. Kepa, M. et al. Nat. Commun. 14, 7956 (2023).
Zoom link for attending remotely: to be communicated
Instructions for 1st-year Ph.D. students planning to attend this talk, who are under EDBB’s mandatory seminar attendance rule:
IN CASE you cannot attend in-person in the room, please make sure to
- send D. Reinhard a note well ahead of time (ideally before seminar day), informing that you plan to attend the talk online, and, during seminar:
- be signed in on Zoom with a recognizable user name (not any alias making it difficult or impossible to identify you).
Practical information
- Informed public
- Free
Organizer
Contact
- Institute of Bioengineering (IBI), Dietrich REINHARD