This webinar explores advancements in femtosecond crystallography for structural biology, with a focus on nanoscale crystals and their applications in medicine and energy conversion. Center for Applied Structural Discovery at ASU's Biodesign Institute is developing revolutionary techniques to reveal biomolecular structures and dynamics at atomic resolution. By using X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs), researchers can capture diffraction patterns before radiation damage occurs, enabling breakthroughs in solving complex biomolecular structures like photosystem I. 

A critical step before performing serial femtosecond crystallography is identifying nanocrystals. SONICC (Second-Order Nonlinear Optical Imaging of Chiral Crystals) plays a pivotal role in detecting these crystals with high throughput, revolutionizing crystallization screening. Beyond identifying nanocrystals in crystallization experiments, SONICC can also detect crystals inside living cells, such as insect cells, and determine the optimal time to harvest them before degradation.