Chemistry and Structural Biology

The Biophysics Resource (BR) was established in January 2001. Our mission is to provide CCR investigators with access to both the latest instrumentation and expertise in characterizing the biophysical aspects of systems under structural investigation. The BR operates as an open, shared-use facility; in general, BR users learn to operate the instruments and conduct their own experiments. Biophysics Resource staff members train all first-time users and are also available to consult with investigators on experimental design/analysis or collaborate with them on more complex studies. Some of th… [learn more]

Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is a powerful technique in structural biology. SAXS enables the investigation of the structure and dynamics of biomacromolecules under various buffer conditions, including salt concentration, pH, presence or absence of ligands, and changes in temperature and pressure. SAXS provides insights into global information about the size and shape of biomacromolecules, conformational changes, complex formation, quaternary structure, oligomerization behavior, assembly and folding, flexibility of fragments, or entire structures, etc. SAXS data can also be used in t… [learn more]

The research conducted within the Synthetic Biologics Core (SBC) Facility has a dual role:  1) generate chemical biology tools and drug candidates for molecular targets identified by NCI research groups and 2) develop novel effective methods and tools for more effective molecular discovery. Chemical biology tools for studying protein functions have many advantages over applications of genetic approaches for studying protein functions. However, wide use of chemical probes is hampered by the difficulties in their generation and characterization. Because the majority of cancer driver… [learn more]

The Biophysics Core’s mission is to provide support in the study of macromolecular interactions, dynamics, and stability by offering consultations, training, professional collaborations, and instrument access. General Services: Multi-technique molecular interaction studies, Kinetic and thermodynamic characterization of interactions, Biophysical characterization of protein complexes and molecular assemblies, Biophysical characterization of integral membrane proteins, Characterization of exosomes, viruses and nanoparticles, Sample quality control and optimization, St… [learn more]

NIH Intramural CryoEM Consortium (NICE) serves intramural investigators in all NIH IC’s. NICE provides access to state-of-the-art Titan Krios cryo-electron microscopes for atomic-resolution structure determination of protein, macromolecular complexes, membrane receptors, cellular organelles, and infectious pathogens, using single particle or cryo-tomography approaches. Fine detailed 3D maps computed by electron micrographs spark numerous biological insights in cancer research, infectious disease research, vaccine design, cell development, and human physiological and functional studies.… [learn more]