Shedding light on protein structures

20. Bern - SNF Protein crystallography started 50 years ago with simply structured molecules. Now researchers from the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) "Structural Biology" are exploring ever larger, ever more complex proteins. By doing so they are gaining a greater insight into the secrets that lie hidden in the detailed structure of the molecules. The new findings are often used in the development of new medicines. For example, the elucidation of the structure of fatty acid synthase, the protein responsible for fatty acid production in mammal cells, creates a new springboard from which to develop new, more precise " and therefore more effective " cancer inhibitors. What at first glance appears to be packaged sweets are in fact valuable protein crystals.