JoVE | Peer Reviewed Scientific Video Journal

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

iNEXT-Discovery: Integrating High-end Facilities for Translational Research in Structural Biology

Guest Editors

Anastassis Perrakis

Netherlands Cancer Institute

<p>Dr. Anastassis Perrakis is a Group Leader in Structural Biology in the Division of Biochemistry at the Netherlands Cancer Institute and Professor of “Macromolecular Structures” in Utrecht University.  His team has a strong background in developing computational and laboratory methods for macromolecular X-ray crystallography, allowing to determine macromolecular structures efficiently and accurately. His biological research on protein structure-function relationships, focuses on two themes: deciphering the signalling axis established by the autotaxin (ATX) extracellular phospholipase that produced the signalling lipid LPA which has numerous physiological roles and therapeutic applications; and analysing the biochemical basis of dynamic microtubule interactions and modifications in regulating mitotic progression and other cellular functions. For this research, his group is using biochemical and biophysical approaches, including various X-ray methods, cryo-EM, NMR and other spectroscopic approaches. In parallel he is an investigator in the Oncode Institute aiming to understand cancer for translating research into practice, and in particular utilise fragment based lead discovery approaches for the development of new drug leads. Finally, he is the coordinator of the iNEXT-Discovery Horizon2020 project to enable access to structural biology research infrastructures for all European researchers, and especially to non-experts in structural biology.</p>

Hans Wienk

Netherlands Cancer Institute

<p>Dr. Hans Wienk is a Project Manager in the Division of Biochemistry at the Netherlands Cancer Institute (NKI) in Amsterdam. He has a PhD in membrane biophysics from Utrecht University (2000), and postdoctoral training in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance at the Goethe University. Before iNEXT he was a post-doctoral fellow and then Facility Manager of the NMR spectroscopy group at the Utrecht University Bijvoet Centre, the largest NMR facilities in Europe; he is an expert in protein spectral assignments, structure calculations, interactions and dynamics. Since 2015 he has been managing the European Commission Horizon2020 project “iNEXT”. He has prepared and is now managing the follow-up “iNEXT-Discovery” Horizon2020 project. Both projects combine over twenty well-established European research groups and facilities for structural biology (NMR, X-rays, Electron Microscopy, Biophysics), that together offer coordinated facility access to hundreds of users, technical and scientific training, as well as networking and dissemination activities to stimulate structural biology research for health, food and biotechnology.</p>

Collection Overview

Integrative structural biology uses a large variety of biophysical methods that provide detailed knowledge of the atomic and molecular structure of macromolecules, isolated or in their native environment. This provides a better understanding of the basic of chemistry of life and helps with the development of new biotechnology tools, drugs, and biomaterials. Access to large-scale installations (synchrotrons producing X-rays, state-of-the-art electron microscopes, powerful NMR magnets) is necessary for research in structural biology. This Methods Collection will describe the most important methods for the structural analysis of macromolecules, applications in fragment-based lead drug discovery, methods to investigate the structure of macromolecules in their native environment, and high throughput approaches for structural determination. It will consist of a variety of methods that includes, but is not limited to, NMR, cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography, and scattering.