Case Center for Synchrotron Bioscience

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Center for Synchrotron Biosciences (CSB), with state-of-the-art facilities and laboratories at the National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) and at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), proposes to continue its programs of developing and operating a suite of synchrotron beamlines and associated technologies at Brookhaven National Laboratories (BNL) through a renewal of its P30 Center grant. Since 1994, with continuous funding from the NIH (NCRR/NIBIB), significant support from NSF and in partnership with many academic institutions and BNL, the Center has supported a large, international structural biology user community through the design, construction, and operation of multiple beamlines. The Center serves over 500 life-science users at the NSLS through the continuous upgrade, maintenance, and operation of beamlines that provide photons, advanced end-station instrumentation, and user support and training for a range of synchrotron biophysics technologies at the state-of-the-art. In this renewal proposal, the CSB will continue technology sores for: synchrotron X-ray footprinting, X-ray spectroscopy, and macromolecular crystallography. An Administrative Core will support these cores and Dissemination and Training Cores will supplement their activities. In the Research Base, for the three cores overall, we identify 176 Pls with 245 specific sources of funding (projects) including 230 peer-reviewed project grants (~200 from NIH). We propose to support 145 projects in macromolecular crystallography (100 PIs), 52 projects in X-ray footprinting (43 PIs), and 48 projects in X-ray spectroscopy (33 PIs) for the renewal. The opportunity to considerably enhance the facilities available to this Research Base is based on a once in a generation opportunity provided by the opening of a new synchrotron ring, the NSLS-II. The CSB team, in collaboration with BNL has secured funding for new beamlines at this facility. During the first part of the renewal period, the CSB will complete beamline desig, purchase and fabricate equipment, and then by the mid-point of the grant period complete installation, then commission several state-of-the art beamlines. We will make the transition to vibrant user programs by the end of the grant period with robust scientific facilities, active dissemination and training program and novel scientific results. The outcome of the five-year period will be a Center that continues to be a magnet for world-class synchrotron biosciences research well beyond existing capabilities and productivity that can continue for many years into the future.