Faster, Smaller, Better: Novel Technologies for Diffraction Experiments in Molecular Biology and Drug Discovery

The 2014 Gordon Research Conference on Diffraction Methods in Structural Biology will present the cutting edge research in the methodological advances that enable Structural Biology to provide new insights in our basic understanding of the molecular biology of life, but also practical solutions in the process of drug discovery. The topics will cover the advancement of the new generation X-ray and neutron sources for diffraction experiments, with a specific emphasis on the free electron laser X-ray sources, the technologies for delivering the crystals that can take advantage of these facilities, the software advances in determining excellent quality macromolecular structures, X-ray scattering methods, and ‘industrial’ applications in drug discovery. The Conference will bring together the investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work both in poster format; some poster presenters will be selected during the meeting for short talks. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with long and interactive discussion sessions after each presentation, early afternoon sport and leisure activities that bring participants together in informal gatherings, and dedicated late afternoon poster sessions in a pleasant atmosphere, provides an avenue for young and senior scientists to interact and start shaping the experiments that will define the future of structural biology research.