DANEMO excursion: exploring new horizons for studying structural biology made possible through the large-scale infrastructure in Hamburg
Would you like to visit some of the most important facilities for doing structural biology experiments in Northern Europe? Hear from some of EMBL’s most outstanding structural biologists who are leading the development of important new tecnniques for investigating molecular structures? Expand your network both in Denmark and abroad?
This excursion will introduce students to some of the key facilities and techniques that researchers use to capture biological structure through a three-day excursion to Hamburg, which has long-established itself as an internationally renowned center for research leadership in structural biology. In Hamburg, participants will visit the European Molecular Biology (EMBL) in Hamburg, the Center for Structural and Systems Biology (CSSB) and European XFEL. During these visits, participants will learn about cutting edge approaches for using synchotron radition, x-ray crystallography, cryo electron microscopy, x-ray imaging and time-resolved experiments to study moleuclar structures. This will take place via seminars and visits to the large-scale infrastructures at European XFEL, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), the sample preparation and characterisation (SPC) facility at EMBL Hamburg and the cryo-EM facility at CSSB. This provides participants with a fantastic opportunity to see these facilities for themselves and learn more about how to use and collaborate with them.
In addition, it is a goal of the excursion to spur new collaborations and connections between Danish researchers and researchers based at EMBL Hamburg and networking events will be organised where participants will meet with postdoctoral researchers based at EMBL Hamburg. The excursion is open to all interested junior researchrs (PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and assistant professors) based at Danish research institutions. The excursion will therefore also present a fantastic opportunity for meeting other junior researchers working in structural biology from across Denmark.
There is no registration fee for participating in the visit to Hamburg and all travel and accommodation will be provided for. Capacity is strictly limited to 30 places and will be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.
PhD students will be eligible to receive 1 ECTS for participation in the excursion.
The excursion is being jointly organised by DANEMO, University of Copenhagen, EMBL Hamburg, and European XFEL.
Thomas R. Schneider
Interim Head of EMBL Hamburg
Schneider will present his research utilizing the two beamlines for macromolecular crystallography: P13 and P14 on the PETRA III synchrotron at the DESY site in Hamburg. Inspired by the developments for crystallography at free-electron lasers, Schneider has established the Serial Synchrotron Crystallography Methodology for data collection on micro-crystals on synchrotron beamlines in collaboration.
Elizabeth Duke
Team Leader at EMBL Hamburg
Duke has developed new approaches for X-ray imaging of biological samples by co-opting the well-established infrastructure for macromolecular crystallography at the PETRA III synchrotron, to conduct x-ray tomography. In this talk, she will elucidate the possibilities of using x-ray imaging methods for structural biology.
Meytal Landau
Leading Scientist at DESY (CSSB), Professor at the Center for Experimental Medicine (ZEM) at the Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) and a Visiting Associated Group Leader at EMBL Hamburg
Landau's research aims to define structure–function–fibrillation relationships and mechanisms of toxicity of protein fibrils serving as key virulence determinants in bacteria or acting as antimicrobials in prokaryotes and eukaryotes, and which are possibly involved in systemic and neurodegenerative diseases. Landau will present her research using the advanced infrastructures at DESY and the CSSB, including the DESY PETRAIII synchrotron.
Dr. Carolin Seuring
Core Facility Head, CSSB
Dr. Carolin Surring is the Facility Head of the Cryo-EM facility at the Center for Systems and Structural Biology. Here, she well present her pioneering research using cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) and single particle analysis (SPA).
Dr. Arwen Pearson
Group Leader at HARBOR, Universität Hamburg
In order to generate a clear picture, the reactions in time-resolved experiments need to be triggered in such a way that all molecules to be examined react at the same time. In fast experiments, less than one millisecond, this can really only be practically achieved with light. Yet by their nature, only very few biological macromolecules react to light. At the Hamburg Advanced Research Centre for Bioorganic Chemistry (HARBOR), Dr. Pearson is developing the photochemical tools needed to overcome this challenge and we will hear about her fascinating research.
Brenda Stride
Fellowship Programmes Lead and Deputy Head of Internal Scientific Training.
Brenda Stride will give an overview of the various opportunities for PhD students, postdocs and junior group leaders at EMBL and EMBO.
When: 24-26 June, 2024
Where: Hamburg
Who: PhD students, Postdocs and Assistant Professors
Register: Registration is now open
Contact: lucy.holt@bio.ku.dk
Transport: A bus will be organised that will pick up participants from Aarhus University, Aalborg University, Danish Technical University, Sydansk University and University of Copenhagen.
Accommodation: In Hamburg, participants will stay at the Leonardo Hotel, Altona. All participants will sleep in shared twin rooms and it will be possible to specify the person you wish to share a room with.
ECTS: PhD students will be eligible to receive 1 ECTS for participation in the excursion. The excursion is being jointly organised by DANEMO, University of Copenhagen, EMBL Hamburg, and European XFEL.
Capacity: Capacity is strictly limited to 30 place
Download the full programme to the DANEMO Excursion - New Horizons for studying Structural Biology: The Large-scale Infrastrucuture in Hamburg.
During our excursion to Hamburg, we are going to see some of Europe's best cutting edge technology.
Make sure to check out the the infrastructure on this exciting opportunity.
Participants will visit the EMBL beamlines at DESY. These include the P12 beamline for Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS) as well as the P13 and P14 beamlines for Macromolecular Crystallography.
Participants will visit European XFEL, which is the most advanced and powerful X-ray laser in the world. Here they will see the facilities and hear about the possibilities for doing structual biology research using free electron beams.
Participants will visit EMBL’s world-leading facilities for sample preparation and characterisations which are located directly next to the EMBL beamlines at the PETRA III synchrotron where they will learn about the latest techniques for optimizing samples for structural studies.
Participants will visit the cryo-EM facility at CSSB where they will hear a talk by Carolin Seuring about the cutting edge techniques CSSB has pioneered for using cryo-EM and cryo-ET to study structural biology, which will be followed by a tour of the state-of-the art facilities.
