Crystallography and Biophysics
Seeing is believing. We strive to understand how Nature works. How does a protein accomplish its function? Why does it behave this way? That’s why we employ a combination of Structural Biology, Biophysics and Biochemistry.
The central facility “X-ray Crystallography and Biophysics” provides a platform for medium- to high throughput protein crystallography as well as support in structure solution and analysis. Furthermore, we assist in planning and conducting biophysical experiments at the institute’s numerous instruments.
The X-ray crystallography facility houses three robotic Formulatrix imaging systems for optical analysis of the crystallization setups at two different temperatures, two robots for pipetting soluble and membrane protein crystallization setups and two X-ray generators with four detectors, including an automatic sample changer and a dedicated mirror system delivering a high-brilliance X-ray beam with a small focus.
Support encompasses all up-to-date crystallography methods including Mesophase (LCP) crystallization of membrane proteins, Bicelle crystallization, and crystallization of soluble proteins with our collection of 20 different commercial screens, corresponding to almost 2000 different crystallization conditions.
Regular trips to the Swiss Light Source (SLS) and PETRA III synchrotrons ensure that we have access to cutting edge technology for high quality data collection.
Dr. Raphael Gasper-Schoenenbruecher
