Setback for UK Synchrotron facilities, as new head takes over

The closure of the Daresbury synchrotron for emergency repairs emphasises the need for more of these facilities.

| 2 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
2:00
Share

A forced — but temporary — shut down at the UK's Synchrotron Radiation Source (SRS) at the Central Laboratory for the Research Council's Daresbury Laboratory has sent researchers scrambling for space in other facilities, highlighting what was already an urgent need for extra synchrotron capacity. The facility will remain closed until October 29 2001.

Synchrotrons, and the highly focussed beam lines of X-rays they produce, are the premier tools for determining protein structure, a process that is critical for rational drug design. The fault at the UK facility illustrates just how important protein structure analysis is now that the human genome project is identifying thousands of genes and their products.

Engineers found the fault in one of the magnet arrays that control the radiation during routine maintenance in July 2001. The result was the introduction of water, which then froze. The part of the system affected now has to be ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Susan Aldridge

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
3D illustration of a gold lipid nanoparticle with pink nucleic acid inside of it. Purple and teal spikes stick out from the lipid bilayer representing polyethylene glycol.
February 2025, Issue 1

A Nanoparticle Delivery System for Gene Therapy

A reimagined lipid vehicle for nucleic acids could overcome the limitations of current vectors.

View this Issue
Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Considerations for Cell-Based Assays in Immuno-Oncology Research

Lonza
An illustration of animal and tree silhouettes.

From Water Bears to Grizzly Bears: Unusual Animal Models

Taconic Biosciences
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo
New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

Sino

Products

Tecan Logo

Tecan introduces Veya: bringing digital, scalable automation to labs worldwide

Explore a Concise Guide to Optimizing Viral Transduction

A Visual Guide to Lentiviral Gene Delivery

Takara Bio
Inventia Life Science

Inventia Life Science Launches RASTRUM™ Allegro to Revolutionize High-Throughput 3D Cell Culture for Drug Discovery and Disease Research

An illustration of differently shaped viruses.

Detecting Novel Viruses Using a Comprehensive Enrichment Panel

Twist Bio