Structural Molecular Biology

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June 14, 2018
News Feature
Scientists Make the First Molecular Movie of One of Nature’s Most Widely Used Light Sensors
The X-ray laser movie shows what happens when light hits retinal, a key part of vision in animals and photosynthesis in microbes. The action takes place in a trillionth of an eye blink.
An image of San Francisco Bay salt ponds from space
June 13, 2018
News Feature
SLAC, Stanford Scientists Discover How a Hardy Microbe’s Crystalline Shell Helps it Reel in Food
Tiny pores in the shells of archaea microbes attract ammonium ions that are their sole source of energy, allowing them to thrive where this food is so scarce that scientists can’t even detect it.
Artist's depiction of a tiny pore in an archaea's crystalline shell
May 15, 2018
News Feature
SLAC Will Open One of Three NIH National Service Centers for Cryo-Electron Microscopy
The National Institutes of Health center on the SLAC campus will make this revolutionary technology available to scientists nationwide and teach them how to use it to study 3D structures of biological machines and molecules.
Cryo-EM image of a proton pump involved in maintaining bone
April 30, 2018
Press Release
SLAC and Stanford Open One of World's Most Advanced Facilities for Cryo-EM
The new facility provides revolutionary tools for exploring tiny biological machines, from viral particles to the interior of the cell.
SLAC-Stanford Cryo-EM Facility
September 20, 2017
News Feature
High-Speed Movie Aids Scientists Who Design Glowing Molecules
With SLAC’s X-ray laser, a research team captured ultrafast changes in fluorescent proteins between “dark” and “light” states. The insights allowed the scientists to design improved markers for biological imaging.
Aequorea victoria, a bioluminescent jellyfish
August 18, 2017
News Feature
Kathryn Hastie Wins Spicer Award for Lassa Virus Work at SLAC’s X-ray Synchrotron
The Scripps researcher is honored for groundbreaking research at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource that accelerated the development of a vaccine for deadly Lassa fever.
Photo - Kathryn Hastie, staff scientist at The Scripps Research Institute
August 2, 2017
News Feature
Franklin Fuller and Cornelius Gati Named 2017 Panofsky Fellows at SLAC
Over the next five years they’ll work on getting significantly more information about how catalysts work and improving biological imaging methods.
Cornelius Gati and Franklin Fuller, the 2017 Panofsky fellows at SLAC
June 22, 2017
News Feature
How a Single Chemical Bond Balances Cells Between Life and Death
With SLAC’s X-ray laser and synchrotron, scientists measured exactly how much energy goes into keeping this crucial bond from triggering a cell's death spiral.
An optical laser (green) excites the iron-containing active site of the protein cytochrome c, and then an X-ray laser (white) probes the iron.
June 20, 2017
News Feature
SLAC Experiment is First to Decipher Atomic Structure of an Intact Virus with an X-ray Laser
The method dramatically reduces the amount of virus material required and allows scientists to get results several times faster.
Surface structure of the bovine enterovirus 2
April 5, 2017
Press Release
X-Ray Study Reveals Long-Sought Insights Into Potential Drug Target
X-ray studies have produced surprising insights into the workings of a hormone receptor associated with blood pressure regulation that could be a target for new medicines related to cardiovascular conditions, neuropathic pain and tissue growth.

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