From research conducted at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY)

X-ray magnifying glass for tuberculosis pathogen

Today, methods derived from physics are standard tools in biology and medicine. One important procedure that falls into this category involves the use of X-rays to irradiate protein crystals and decipher the crystals’ structure and functionality.

Photo PETRA III — One of the fourteen measurement stations connected to the PETRA III X-ray source, used to decipher the molecular mechanisms of certain pathogens. Photo/Graphic: DESY/H. Mueller-Elsner.

Picture tuberculosis enzym — Photo/Graphic: EMBL/F. List.

The data collected in this way allows scientists to unravel the molecular mechanisms behind the development of diseases such as tuberculosis. One of the world’s best X-ray sources is located at the Helmholtz Association’s DESY research centre in Hamburg. The PETRA III facility has been supplying extremely short and powerful X-ray flashes since 2010, and three of its fourteen measuring stations are operated by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).

Deciphering the protein structures of the tuberculosis bacterium will allow scientists to identify potential points of attack for future medication. Researchers will soon have the opportunity to intensify their efforts in a new interdisciplinary facility on the DESY campus: the Centre for Structural Systems Biology (CSSB).

Frank Grotelüschen

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