Berkeley Lab
Studying Proteins to Make Better Drugs
Scientists Eva Nogales, Ken Downing and other colleagues were the first to solve the complete structure of tubulin, a protein that that makes possible such vital life processes as cell division and the movement of materials within cells. By using electron crystallography they were able to work with crystals only one molecule in thickness, giving them the high resolution they needed. The detailed elucidation of such proteins help to understand how they interact with drugs, such as promising anti-cancer drugs.
credit: Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l Lab - Roy Kaltschmidt, photographer
XBD200302-00088.TIF
Studying Proteins to Make Better Drugs
Scientists Eva Nogales, Ken Downing and other colleagues were the first to solve the complete structure of tubulin, a protein that that makes possible such vital life processes as cell division and the movement of materials within cells. By using electron crystallography they were able to work with crystals only one molecule in thickness, giving them the high resolution they needed. The detailed elucidation of such proteins help to understand how they interact with drugs, such as promising anti-cancer drugs.
credit: Lawrence Berkeley Nat'l Lab - Roy Kaltschmidt, photographer
XBD200302-00088.TIF