STRUCTURAL GENOMICS FOR DIFFICULT TARGETS AND/OR DISEASE-RELATED PROTEINS

Stanford University, Stanford CA

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Abstract

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Structural genomics has reached an era where focus has been shifted to making more substantial contribution to the biological community. Our group operates the x-ray crystallography facility of two PSI-II centers ? the Integrated Center for Structure and Function Innovation (ISFI) and the TB Structural Genomics Consortium (TBSGC). The two centers focus on develop technologies to solve crystal structures of important but difficult targets (ISFI), and to solve those of important drug targets of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Because of the difficulty of the targets, most of the crystals are difficult to obtain and often very small. Well managed and intense synchrotron sources optimized for protein crystallography are usually the only hope in conducting effective diffraction experiments. Characterizing and solving the crystal structures of these proteins of biomedical importance will bring substantial impact to the biological community.