| Identifies Growing Need for Synchrotron Analyses | | | | The BioSync Committee reached the following main |
| Structural Biology and Synchrotron Radiation: | | | | conclusions: |
| Evaluation of Resources and Needs (1997) is a report | | | | * Structural biology research is producing results of |
| on the current status of biological uses and demands | | | | high biological impact that have a direct bearing on |
| of synchrotron radiation in the United States. For this | | | | human health issues. |
| report, staff at the synchrotron radiation facilities and | | | | * Synchrotron radiation, combined with |
| their user communities were surveyed, and a group | | | | multiwavelength anomalous diffraction phasing, has |
| of experienced structural biologists analyzed the data. | | | | revolutionized the discovery of new macromolecular |
| In evaluating what synchrotron facilities and support | | | | structures. |
| operations are needed and in anticipating future | | | | * Noncrystallographic applications to structural biology |
| requirements for sustaining the exciting progress in | | | | continue to expand. |
| structural biology, the BioSync Committee noted the | | | | * Demand for structural information and synchrotron |
| expanded impact of structural biology in recent years. | | | | time is growing very rapidly in all molecular fields of |
| This expansion has led to an increase in the size and | | | | biology. |
| complexity of macromolecular structures being | | | | * Regional facilities will increase in importance. |
| determined and in the difficulty of experiments being | | | | * The most cost-effective way to improve |
| pursued. Structural biology is having a widening effect | | | | throughput at synchrotron facilities is to upgrade |
| on such diverse fields as immunology, neurobiology, | | | | existing beamlines. |
| cell biology, virology, physiology, molecular biology, | | | | * More cooperation is highly recommended among |
| medicine, and biotechnology. | | | | organizations funding synchrotron facilities and basic |
| Recent advances in structural biology can be | | | | research. |
| attributed to (1) methodological improvements that | | | | * A BioSync report published in 1991 concluded that |
| allow a vast array of cellular proteins to be cloned | | | | structural biology, especially crystallography, was a |
| and expressed in quantities sufficient for structural | | | | very rapidly expanding field with a growing impact on |
| studies, (2) use of cryocrystallography to prepare | | | | basic and applied biology and that synchrotron |
| extremely stable crystals, and (3) availability of and | | | | radiation facilities available at the time were |
| technological innovations at synchrotron radiation | | | | insufficient for the community's needs. Construction |
| facilities. These factors have brought many more | | | | of additional beamlines and improved support for |
| projects of high biological significance into the realm | | | | existing beamlines were recommended. Much of this |
| of structural biology. Without synchrotron sources, | | | | increase has been realized with new facilities at |
| many of these new research projects could not have | | | | Argonne and Berkeley and additional beamlines for |
| been undertaken. | | | | biological use at Brookhaven, Stanford, and Cornell. |