To celebrate 30 years of publishing in the field of structural biology, the journal Structure has gathered a cohort of senior researchers to pose the question – what might the next decade have in store?
Amongst the scientists featured is Research Complex’s own Martin Walsh. Reflecting on his experience at the cutting edge of macromolecular crystallography (MX) at Diamond Light Source, Walsh explains how the rapid capabilities of the advanced workflows at Diamond contributed to breakthroughs in Covid-19 research. This speed continues to lend MX an advantage over competing technologies such as cryo-EM. Looking forward, Walsh adds, the emergence of later-generation light sources promises to broaden the application of MX ever further, leading to the conclusion that “the future for MX is probably hotter, definitely faster, and more dynamic, cementing its increasing role in drug discovery.”
Elsewhere in the piece, scholars from across the globe contribute their expertise on various branches of the field. A large focus is the “resolution revolution” development of cryo-EM and its various offshoots in the last ten years. Beyond the various imaging technologies, a common thread is the potential of machine learning to revolutionise the prediction of structures in the years to come.