Transcript Bio-X Satellite at SSRL – addressing Stanford`s needs in Structural

Opportunities and Challenges in the Post Genome Sequencing Era
Bio-X Satellite at SSRL –
addressing Stanford’s needs in Structural Molecular Biology
and home to Stanford’s structural genomics initiative
Motivation, Perspectives and Goals
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Enabling students and postdoctoral fellows to be trained on one of the world’s
premier facilities for Structural Molecular Biology in an integrated environment
that stimulates and fosters new scientific ideas
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Intellectual Strength at Stanford
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outstanding students and postdoctoral fellows
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outstanding faculty in strong programs in the life, physical and engineering
sciences with strong interest in and need for knowledge of biomolecular
structure
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SSRL Advantage in Infrastructure and as a Component of Bio-X
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SSRL in collaboration with The Scripps Research Institute and UCSD forms the
Joint Center for Structural Genomics funded by the NIH-NIGMS
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SSRL provides world class capabilities easily accessible to departments on
campus
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very strong existing SSRL program in structural biology (3 faculty, 9 scientists,
29 support staff)
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special expertise in large/complex systems, specialized instrumentation and
new methodology
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Stanford has new beam line (BL11-1) for enabling frontier macromolecular
crystallography research
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Possible Integration within the Framework of Bio-X
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satellite activity on the SLAC campus located adjacent to synchrotron
experimental hall
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workshop-like atmosphere facilitates interaction among Stanford
students/postdoctorals, scientific staff, and a large and growing international
user community
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space for on-site “off-line” x-ray equipment for screening and data collection
maintained by trained staff and sharing on-site spares for detectors and
computers
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opportunity for locating and supporting other core activities like parallel compute
farms which leverage on expertise at SLAC in managing high performance, high
storage capacity systems
Structural Genomics –
an example of transdisciplinary research at Stanford
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Goal of structural and functional genomics is to determine and
analyze all possible protein structures based on target selection
criteria utilizing advanced methodology and technology
Joint Center for Structural Genomics
 Involves scientists from Stanford, UCSD,
Scripps, Berkeley, and Salk with
collaborators from around the world
 Is developing advanced methods
for automated determination of
protein structures using a
transdisciplinary approach
 Is one of 7 centers in the USA
funded as pilot center by NIH-NIGMS
 Is positioned to take on worldwide
leadership in structural genomics
Transdisciplinary Approach to Life Sciences
 Development of crystallographic algorithms to automate structure
determination (Mathematics/Physics/Structural Biology)
 Utilization of artificial intelligence to develop rule based systems
for optimization of overall process (Computer Sciences)
 Development of large scale databases for storage of
experimental data and development of data mining for analysis
(Information Sciences)
 Development of robotics systems for sample handling under
cryogenic conditions (mechanical and electrical engineering)
 Development of advanced beam line instrumentation for
automated data collection (synchrotron research)
 Target Selection (genetics and proteomics)
 Target expression and crystallization (biochemistry and molecular
biology)
 Structural and functional analysis (proteomics and bioinformatics)