Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic measures forced students to stay home and confined them to remote learning. This had a large impact on laboratory experiments, which are often impossible to complete from home. This article is a resource for instructors/educators to introduce the topic of structural biology and crystallographic methods. The main focus is to describe a hands-on crystallization laboratory exercise that can be carried out remotely at home with safe household products. X-ray crystallography is a vital technique for determining protein structure and function. This information can be used to understand fundamental biological processes and to help in the design of life-saving medications. Here, a method was developed to teach crystallography using reagents and equipment that can be found in grocery stores. The steps involved in a crystallography experiment are detailed with links and references to additional resources.
Funder
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science
National Institutes of Health, National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Biological and Environmental Research
Publisher
International Union of Crystallography (IUCr)
Subject
General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
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