About
The Bio21-WEHI crystallization facility is a joint venture between the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) and the University of Melbourne, supported by the Australian Cancer Research Foundation, under the Melbourne Collaborative Research Infrastructure Program (MCRIP) at the University of Melbourne. This presentation highlights the Melbourne Protein Characterization Platform that focuses on protein discovery research, and provides researchers access to advanced instrumentation for the structural characterization of proteins. The Bio21-WEHI facility, equipped with FORMULATRIX instruments and software, has an integrated workflow that covers experimental design, drop dispensing, crystal imaging, and analysis using the ROCK MAKER crystallization software.
In this talk, Dr. Smith covers the services offered by the facility, such as standard and LCP crystallization, crystal growth optimization, and plate storage and imaging. She discusses the facility's future, including adding the capability of in-plate data collection and X-ray sources and automated crystal harvesting and tracking using the Crystal Shifter. The upcoming collaboration with the Australian Cancer Research Foundation will enable the facility to perform fragment and compound screening experiments.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Roxanne Smith is a protein crystallization specialist at the Bio21 Institute and a post-doctoral training fellow in cancer therapeutics at the Institute of Cancer Research, London. With a Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Structural Biology from La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia, Roxanne's research has been prolific, marked by four first-author publications focused on developing narrow-spectrum antibiotics targeting Neisserial pathogens. Her current endeavors involve structural-based drug design for cancer therapeutics.