04 April 2011: The sample needle in the centre of the image holds small and delicate protein crystals in place on I24, the Microfocus Macromolecular Crystallography (MX) beamline. I24 is ideally placed to carry out research into membrane proteins. With over 7,000 in our bodies, and 50% of current commercially available drugs targeting them, the challenge to solve membrane protein structures is an important but difficult one as they are small, fragile and difficult to crystalise.
Posted on Monday April 4th
About me
Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility, located at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire. By accelerating electrons to near light-speed, Diamond generates brilliant beams of light from infra-red to X-rays which are used for academic and industry research and development across a range of scientific disciplines including structural biology, physics, chemistry, materials science, engineering, earth and environmental sciences.Please do not copy and use these images without our permission. Contact Sarah Boundy for image use permission and/or high-res versions. We are happy to help.
