Collaborative ProjectsCipriani Team
Improvement of the Diffraction quality of Macromolecular Crystals
SPINE2-COMPLEXES - Framework 6 RTD European Programme
Starting date: 1 July 2006
Duration: 42 months
Contract no: 031220
Coordinator: Prof David Stuart, University of Oxford, UK
Despite continuous advances in MX, crystals diffracting quality is often a limiting factor to obtain the desired structural data. Different methods have been proposed to maximise diffraction from a protein crystal in a frozen state or at room temperature: Annealing, dehydration, soaking, tempering, cryoprotection, high pressure freezing. Our project is to find the most generic techniques and develop corresponding instruments usable routinely at synchrotron. Efforts will be initially put on crystal dehydration.
For further information, please visit the project web site.
Definition of a New European sample holder standard for frozen crystals
BioStruct-X WP7, T7.5 - Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Commission
Starting date: November 2011
Duration: 36 months
Coordinator: Florent Cipriani, EMBL Grenoble, France
Motivated by the increasing flow of samples at MX beamlines and by the emergence of automated harvesters, studies have started for a compact and precise sample holder for frozen crystals.
An automated BioSAXS sample environment with on-line HPLC system for the European beamlines
BioStruct-X WP7, T7.3 - Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Commission
Starting date: November 2011
Duration: 48 months
Coordinator: Dmitri Svergun, EMBL Hamburg
A fast sample environment was recently developed for the ESRF and EMBL@PETRA-III BioSAXS beamlines. The sample exposure unit will optimised to be easily portable to all European synchrotrons, and an online HPLC system integrated to characterize difficult proteins and complexes before any degradation occurs.