The South Coast Biosciences (SoCoBio) Doctoral Training Partnership is a new collaboration of the Universities of Southampton, Kent, Sussex and Portsmouth, and the horticultural and agricultural research institute NIAB EMR funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Significant technical developments are revolutionising structural biology and change the way in which a crystallographic experiment is approached. Noise-free detection, advances in synchrotron X-ray sources and availability of pulsed X-ray free electron laser sources (XFEL) now firmly establish serial crystallography. Thousands of nanocrystals each contribute a single x-ray exposure. The method is able to add dynamic information on structural changes or transitions, observed over time. Enzymes or higher order molecular complexes are prominent targets.
Micro- or nanocrystalline samples are required to unlock this capability. We developed a workflow for optimising crystal growth for size and homogeneity and demonstrated serial data collection with a fixed target delivery approach using a nano-fabricated chip-based support system, capable of delivering one structure per hour either at the Diamond Light Source (I24 microfocus beamline) or at an XFEL source (SACLA, Japan).
The PhD will optimise nano-crystallisation to study two high value targets. Micro-seeding approaches are developed in collaboration with the highly innovative CASE partner Douglas Instruments. Novel high-throughput approaches in nano-crystallisation using microfluidic platforms are developed at Southampton.
For more information and to apply, click here.
