Scientists based in Palo Alto, California, have accomplished a major feat: They have produced brilliant X-ray light from a device just a fraction of the standard size. The advance could transform numerous fields of biomedical research by vastly improving access to a key resource for studying the properties of molecules.
Researchers who want to know the structures of molecules, such as proteins, use synchrotrons--facilities as big as football stadiums that produce intense X-ray beams. But because of the size and cost of synchrotrons, only a few exist. To make the technology more widely available, scientists at Lyncean Technologies, Inc., have been constructing a synchrotron prototype since 2004 that would produce X-ray beams in the space of a small office and that could be installed at many research institutions. The prototype, called the Compact Light Source (CLS), demonstrated its feasibility by generating its first X-ray beam on February 23, 2006.
The scientists soon will begin using the prototype to collect experimental data. The first Beta CLS will be installed at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, as part of a Protein Structure Initiative (PSI) center aimed at accelerating the determination of protein structures.
FUNDING:
The development of the CLS has been supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), a component of the National Institutes of Health, through the PSI and the Small Business Innovation Research Program, which fosters the development of new technologies.
AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT:
Jeremy M. Berg, Ph.D., NIGMS director, is available to discuss the CLS, its potential impact on biomedical research, and its support through NIGMS programs. To schedule an interview, please call the NIGMS Office of Communications and Public Liaison at 301-496-7301.
MORE INFORMATION:
For more information about Lyncean Technologies, Inc., see http://www.lynceantech.com/.
NIGMS (http://www.nigms.nih.gov/), a component of the National Institutes of Health, supports basic biomedical research that is the foundation for advances in disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH)--The Nation's Medical Research Agency--includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.