The 2nd Time-Resolved Structural Biology workshop filled important gaps and opens up for future gatherings

Thomas Ursby is working group leader, researcher, and project manager for the MicroMAX beamline at MAX IV.

The 2nd workshop on time-resolved methods to study dynamics in integrative structural biology filled a key gap, and continued important discussions on how to combine methods, how to interpret data and avoid pitfalls, and on what developments that are important for the field. It was the very final event of the Integrative Structural Biology theme – but the ambition is to organise a similar workshop in two years’ time.

Thomas Ursby, previous leader of the Time Resolved Structural Biology working group, researcher, and project manager for the MicroMAX beamline at MAX IV, reflects that the three-day event was a great success. Not least being able to meet in person, and having the opportunity to continue discussions during breaks and coffee.

– We thought quite a bit about the set-up this time. We wanted to stimulate discussions, and encourage participation. With that in mind, we decided to have relatively short talks, and longer moderated discussions. This worked very well, since otherwise people might be hesitant to ask questions.

The event was limited to 50 people. There are pros and cons with being restricted to a smaller group, notes Thomas Ursby.

– Of course, the atmosphere benefited from being a smaller group. It was more informal, and more open. On the other hand, the research field of integrative structural biology is growing, and it would have been interesting to open up for more participants too.

Participants gained a lot from attending the workshop

In contrast to the very first workshop on time-resolved structural biology, which presented a broad palette of methods and techniques such as NMR, Cryo-EM, SAXS, electron diffraction, neutron scattering, lasers and computational techniques, the programme this time had a stronger focus on X-ray crystallography, the experimental science of determining the 3D arrangement of atoms in biological molecules such as proteins. Talks covered topics such as “Combining biomolecular simulations with time-dependent and time-resolved experiments” and “Time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography of a photoenzyme: pitfalls and progress”.

– Many people have mailed me to say that they really enjoyed the workshop, and that they gained a lot from attending. Getting this this type of feedback is really nice, and an indication that our scientific programming is of value to the research community.

As the research area of integrative structural biology is expanding, more conferences and scientific events are being organised in different parts of the world.

New workshop planned in two years’ time

Thomas Ursby and his colleagues plan to organise a follow-up workshop on time-resolved structural biology in two years’ time.

– It is great to see so much activity. It is important to grow the field, and capture the momentum. With our next workshop, we want to follow up on some of the projects and techniques presented at the two previous events, and maintain networks.

Another reason to organise a follow-up event is that Thomas Ursby believes that the content and scheduling of these specific workshops fill an important scientific gap since a couple of related meetings have been discontinued as the particular funding grants have ended, and individual sessions at larger conferences do not give the opportunities of a dedicated workshop.

– There is a high pace of development within the field of integrative structural biology, including of time-resolved methods, it will be interesting to see what the hottest topics will be in two years. We might move to another location. There are many benefits of moving around, especially in terms of study visits to large scale facilities. But time will tell!, says Thomas Ursby.

Read about the 2nd Time-Resolved Structural Biology workshop