Researchers Secure Grant to Study Protein Dynamics Using Electric Fields, Aiming for New Drug Targets
Four researchers, including Guido Meier from the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter (MPSD) in Hamburg, have been awarded an ERC Synergy Grant of approximately €9.2 million over six years. The team, which also includes Thomas J. Lane from Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY), Doeke Hekstra from Harvard University, and John Beale from the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI, will develop a new method to investigate how proteins respond to electric fields. This research aims to trigger protein dynamics using electric fields, rather than traditional laser pulses, to better mimic conditions found in living organisms. Their project, SPARX (Structural Perturbations by Applied electRic-field Xtallography), will build on established serial crystallography techniques and electric-field crystallography. The goal is to observe proteins in action at facilities like the X-ray free-electron laser SwissFEL, with Meier's team developing precision electronics to deliver fast, well-defined electric fiel...
