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Infrastructure for transnational access and discovery in structural biology

Project description

Europe pulls together to stimulate structural biology discovery and innovation

Molecules have complex 3D structures in which their constituents fold and twist, hiding certain regions and exposing others. This structure changes in time and space as well, depending on what the molecule is doing – and which other structures – at any certain moment. Visualising and mapping the structure and interactions of biological molecules in space and time is critical to understanding the function and ultimately the development of catalysts, therapeutics and biofuels, to name a few. The EU-funded iNEXT-Discovery project is combining the requisite instrumentation and expertise accumulated by experts in structural biology, medicinal chemistry, translational medicine, biological imaging and food research, and making it available to enthusiastic European scientists. The joint research activities building on cross-disciplinary mentorship will enhance the growth and development of new communities and accelerate discoveries.

Objective

Structural biology reveals the molecular architecture of life; the three-dimensional structure of biomolecules and how they interact to form complex machineries and cells. Structural biology is key to innovations in chemistry, biotechnology and medicine: new drugs, advanced vaccines, novel biomaterials, engineered enzymes for food production, a cleaner environment, and efficient biofuels. iNEXT-Discovery takes on the challenge of proactively supporting the uptake of existing tools, and the innovation of new tools, to promote scientific Discovery and translation in a range of disciplines, building on the success of the H2020 project iNEXT (infrastructure for NMR, EM and X-rays for Translational research).

iNEXT-Discovery brings together a strong network of leading structural biology facilities in partnership with regional experts and ESFRI communities in medicinal chemistry, translational medicine, biological imaging, and food research, to disseminate knowledge and services. We aim to stimulate the wider uptake of structural biology across Europe, across scientific disciplines and research sectors. Significant hardware and software advances allow targeting transnational access to advanced instrumentation also to scientists without previous expertise in structural biology: uptake will be facilitated by training and thematic calls focused on new communities. Access to our instrumentation and expertise will ultimately allow European scientists to gain structural insight that can translate into innovations in the biomedical, food, biotechnological and biomaterials sectors. Our joint research activities will roll-out advances in key technologies for translational research: fragment screening for drug development, EM efficiency and capacity, NMR applications to extend structures beyond three dimensions, and integrative structural biology approaches to look at macromolecules in cells. All our activities support innovative research of both academic and industrial users.

Call for proposal

H2020-INFRAIA-2018-2020

See other projects for this call

Sub call

H2020-INFRAIA-2019-1

Coordinator

STICHTING HET NEDERLANDS KANKER INSTITUUT-ANTONI VAN LEEUWENHOEK ZIEKENHUIS
Net EU contribution
€ 1 122 375,00
Address
PLESMANLAAN 121
1066 CX Amsterdam
Netherlands

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Region
West-Nederland Noord-Holland Groot-Amsterdam
Activity type
Research Organisations
Links
Total cost
€ 1 122 375,00

Participants (27)