MRI-R2: Acquisition of High Throughput Crystallization and Collection Devices

Washington State University, Pullman WA

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5). This Major Research Instrumentation-Recovery and Reinvestment (MRI-R2) award funds the acquisition of high throughput crystallization and collection devices at the Biomolecular X-ray Crystallography (BXC) Center at Washington State University (WSU). Research benefitting from the acquisition includes projects to investigate mechanisms of DNA damage and repair, reproductive physiology, defense against bioterrorism, causes and prevention of major worldwide diseases, plant defense systems, redox chemistry, protein folding, production of food and renewable energy, and reduction of environmental pollution. Automation of crystallization and availability of high flux X-ray generators with dual wavelengths (Cu and Cr anodes) has significantly enhanced the overall scientific, and establishes the BXC Center as a regional center for high-throughput structure determination. The availability of the high throughput devices allows the BXC Center to not only continuously address the most compelling scientific questions in each of those on-going collaborations but also allows expansion of the collaborations and services to include new neighboring institutes. The instrumentation provides extended and efficient service for the regional research and teaching community to collectively enhance their scientific programs via access to and utilization of a core. The BXC Center performs numerous services and external collaborations with many institutions across the Nation, and is active in enhancing regional teaching and training capabilities at the graduate, undergraduate, and high school level through laboratory experiments and classroom instruction. The high throughput devices increases the Center's role in this region to produce world-class scientists of the next generation derived from diverse economic, ethnic and geographic backgrounds. Results from the studies enabled by the new equipment are disseminated by student and faculty presentations at regional and national meetings, and through publication in peer-reviewed journals.