BioCARS: A Synchrotron Structural Biology Resource
From BTRR
Overview
BioCARS, a component of the Consortium for Advanced Radiation Sources (CARS), is operating Sector 14 at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory as a national user facility for synchrotron radiation research. The scientific interests of BioCARS are crystallographic studies of viruses, ribosomes, and other complexes with very large unit cells; studies of microcrystals; time-resolved crystallography; and scattering from less-ordered biological systems. In all cases, the goal is to understand basic biological processes in structural terms, a goal fundamental to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries as well as to basic science.
Current Research
Design, construction and installation of novel optical elements to deliver the brilliant X-ray beam to the crystals; design and construction of all components necessary to upgrade one sector at the Advanced Photon Source consisting of one insertion device and one bending magnet beamline, with three experimental stations; strategies for the effective acquisition of time-resolved data and its analysis, and the acquisition of precise MAD data; spectroscopic, static and time-resolved studies of single crystals of biological photoreceptors; and studies of single crystals of materials classified as Biosafety Level 2 and 3 substances (BSL-2 and BSL-3).
