Structural Biology Methods Scientific Interest Group

The NIH Structural Biology Methods SIG aims to facilitate the sharing of the latest technological and research advances between researchers of the NIH IRP who are interested in using cutting-edge structural biology methods to study the three-dimensional structure and function of biological macromolecules and assemblies. Structural biology has undergone rapid, transformative changes and technological advances in recent years which now allows scientists to pursue answers to challenging biological questions without being limited to single experimental techniques. Historically, the NIH intramural research program has had solid foundations in both traditional X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopic methods and has expanded its capabilities with the addition of strong programs in cryogenic electron microscopy, tomography, small-angle scattering, mass spectrometry, and computational structural biology. This allows for the ability of integrating structural biology methods alongside other biophysical techniques to gain mechanistic insights into complex biological systems which may aid in developing a deeper understanding of the molecular basis of disease and inform the design of novel therapeutic agents and strategies. Indeed, recent advances have continued to demonstrate the importance of structural biology methods in developing new drugs and vaccines to combat a variety of diseases and biological disorders.

The SIG publishes a newsletter that contains practical tips, highlights of new technological and experimental methods, discussion topics, an update of recent publications of SIG members and links to a variety of programs and servers that are commonly used in structural biology research. Through the newsletter, the SIG hopes to communicate the research advances of the SIG members in order to facilitate discussion and possible collaborations among its members.

Note, this group was previously known as the X-Ray Diffraction Interest Group.

Mailing List

To join the Structural Biology Methods Scientific Interest Group mailing list, please visit the Structural Biology Methods Scientific Interest Group Listserv home page, then click the “Subscribe or Unsubscribe” link in the right sidebar.