What is the platform’s mission?
“In collaboration with CryoEM, MAX IV, the European Spallation Source (ESS) and the Protein Production Network Sweden (PPNS), the platform will help to create a broad network of methods within the field of structural biology in order to support Swedish researchers in need of such technologies.”
The primary objective of the platform is to help coordinate the rapidly growing field of integrated structural biology. It is led by Göran Karlsson from the University of Gothenburg, and Johan Malmström’s role is to contribute to its scientific development.
“The focus of the platform is to increase the synergy between the various structural biological methods in Sweden. For our facility in Lund, the goal is to help researchers throughout Sweden with structural proteomics and to do this in collaboration with the other stakeholders within ISB.”
Which diseases/conditions do you think will benefit most from structural proteomics?
“The target group is researchers within the field of structural biology or researchers who need to employ structural biological methods. This is more in the basic scientific direction, but since most drugs target proteins in the body, in the long run there is a strong link to both increasing knowledge about diseases and the search for new treatments.
“The hope is that the infrastructure will increase our understanding of how proteins interact, so that we can understand how important biological processes work in detail – in normal, healthy people and those with diseases. We also hope to be able to contribute to the understanding of the connection between proteins and various biologic drugs. One example of this is antibody treatments that are being developed for several different types of diseases.”
What challenges do you see in the near future?
“The big challenge is to establish the platform and to create a strong network between the major infrastructures in Sweden. Sweden has several strong infrastructures in the area, especially in Lund. The application of integrated structural biology is definitely on the rise, but it will be a great challenge to get it to function in an optimal way.