Characterization of Biological Samples Using Ultra-Short and Ultra-Bright XFEL Pulses

Overview

Journal Adv Exp Med Biol

Specialties Biology
General Medicine

Date 2024 Mar 20

PMID 38507205

Authors

Adam Round

E Jungcheng

Carsten Fortmann-Grote

Klaus Giewekemeyer

Rita Graceffa

Chan Kim

Henry Kirkwood

Grant Mills

Ekaterina Round

Tokushi Sato

Sakura Pascarelli

Adrian Mancuso

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The advent of X-ray Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) has ushered in a transformative era in the field of structural biology, materials science, and ultrafast physics. These state-of-the-art facilities generate ultra-bright, femtosecond-long X-ray pulses, allowing researchers to delve into the structure and dynamics of molecular systems with unprecedented temporal and spatial resolutions. The unique properties of XFEL pulses have opened new avenues for scientific exploration that were previously considered unattainable. One of the most notable applications of XFELs is in structural biology. Traditional X-ray crystallography, while instrumental in determining the structures of countless biomolecules, often requires large, high-quality crystals and may not capture highly transient states of proteins. XFELs, with their ability to produce diffraction patterns from nanocrystals or even single particles, have provided solutions to these challenges. XFEL has expanded the toolbox of structural biologists by enabling structural determination approaches such as Single Particle Imaging (SPI) and Serial X-ray Crystallography (SFX). Despite their remarkable capabilities, the journey of XFELs is still in its nascent stages, with ongoing advancements aimed at improving their coherence, pulse duration, and wavelength tunability.

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