The SLS Group for Macromolecular Crystallography
MX in a nutshell
The Macromolecular Crystallography group at the SLS is active in the study of large molecule structures, such as proteins, DNA, RNA, which in cristalline form can be investigated using X-ray diffraction techniques. In particular, the group is responsible for the operation of three beamlines, two undulator ones (X06SA and X10SA), and a superbend beamline (X06DA).
Scientific Highlights
Nanobodies against SARS-CoV-2
In a study published in EMBO Journal, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany, developed nanobodies that efficiently block the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and its variants. The high resolution structural characterization was performed at the X10SA crystallography beamline at the Swiss Light Source.
How ethane-consuming archaea pick up their favorite dish
Scientists decode the structure of the enzyme responsible for the ethane fixation by – beside others – using the SLS.
On-demand sample delivery article highlighted in "Applied Physics Letters"
An article on the on-demand sample delivery and protein crystallography using acoustic levitation has been selected in an Applied Physics Letters collection of papers on technology and application of acoustic tweezers.