High-throughput pharmaceutical screening and structure based inhibitor development

Structure-based drug development is among the most powerful techniques in modern drug discovery. Here, based on the three-dimensional structure of drug targets, for example proteins essential for viral replication or host cell entry, different binders are proposed typically by computational predictions or initial considerations of compound properties and then tested for the binding or even inhibition in biochemical and biophysical assays. Click here to read more

Crystallography at non-ambient conditions

Most protein structure determinations today are performed at cryogenic temperatures and at ambient pressure. However, protein function is strongly dependant on environmental parameters such as pH-value, temperature, and pressure. In our group we currently investigate the influence of pressure, temperature, and hydration on protein structures and their dynamics using both conventional and serial crystallography. We develop methods and the required hardware to enable these novel experiments. Click here to read more

Serial crystallography

In serial crystallography snapshots from hundreds to thousands of microcrystals are recorded and subsequently merged into a complete dataset allowing for structure determination. Due to the achievable very short exposure times serial crystallography is ideally suited for time-resolved investigations of proteins. In our group we develop new methods for fixed-target sample delivery using the Roadrunner goniometer. We regularly perform serial crystallography experiments at both synchrotrons and XFELs. A speciality of our group is ‘pink beam’ serial crystallography utilizing polychromatic radiation. Click here to read more

High Energy Electron diffraction

For ultrafast electron diffraction (UED) experiments DESY is developing and operating the accelerator-based high energy electron facility REGAE. It provides 2 – 5 MeV electron pulses with a charge of typically 100 fC and a pulse duration down to 20 fs and is ideally well suited for time-resolved diffraction experiments. REGAE is currently the only working MeV UED facility in Europe. Click here to read more

Renewable Energy

Renewable raw materials such as wood can serve as a substitute for fossil oil. It is the best candidate to be used for special chemical syntheses and the production of biofuels. We focus our research on the degradation and modification of lignin, a previously unusable component of wood. Click here to read more