On a completely different tack, isn’t the most pressing requirement in current structural biology a really good method of characterizing macromolecular samples *before *they are put onto cryoEM grids – ie analysing *and screening them *in solution.
For one thing I’m told those huge microscopes are quite prone to breaking down, which makes the queues (lines) to get onto them even longer. That method might be (micro-scale) DLS – or something completely different. Thx, Patrick On Mon, Jul 15, 2019 at 8:44 PM Holton, James M < 0000270165b9f4cf-dmarc-requ...@jiscmail.ac.uk> wrote: > Hello folks, > > I have the distinct honor of chairing the next Gordon Research > Conference on Diffraction Methods in Structural Biology (July 26-31 > 2020). This meeting will focus on the biggest challenges currently > faced by structural biologists, and I mean actual real-world > challenges. As much as possible, these challenges will take the form of > friendly competitions with defined parameters, data, a scoring system, > and "winners", to be established along with other unpublished results > only at the meeting, as is tradition at GRCs. > > But what are the principle challenges in biological structure > determination today? I of course have my own ideas, but I feel like I'm > forgetting something. Obvious choices are: > 1) getting crystals to diffract better > 2) building models into low-resolution maps (after failing at #1) > 3) telling if a ligand is really there or not > 4) the phase problem (dealing with weak signal, twinning and > pseudotranslation) > 5) what does "resolution" really mean? > 6) why are macromolecular R factors so much higher than small-molecule > ones? > 7) what is the best way to process serial crystallography data? > 8) how should one deal with non-isomorphism in multi-crystal methods? > 9) what is the "structure" of something that won't sit still? > > What am I missing? Is industry facing different problems than > academics? Are there specific challenges facing electron-based > techniques? If so, could the combined strength of all the world's > methods developers solve them? I'm interested in hearing the voice of > this community. On or off-list is fine. > > -James Holton > MAD Scientist > > > ######################################################################## > > To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: > https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 > -- patr...@douglas.co.uk Douglas Instruments Ltd. Douglas House, East Garston, Hungerford, Berkshire, RG17 7HD, UK Directors: Peter Baldock, Patrick Shaw Stewart http://www.douglas.co.uk Tel: 44 (0) 148-864-9090 US toll-free 1-877-225-2034 Regd. England 2177994, VAT Reg. GB 480 7371 36 ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1
