Check out these recent examples of how Australian Synchrotron research staff contribute to international scientific achievements.
A Nobel contribution
David Aragao, post-doctoral fellow with the macromolecular crystallography (MX) beamline team at the AS, contributed to the work that earned Brian Kobilka and Robert Lefkowitz the 2012 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.
While at Trinity College Dublin, David was part of an international team assembled by Brian Kobilka to investigate the structure and functions of a human transmembrane protein known as β2-adrenergic receptor, which is a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) and a drug target for the treatment of asthma. The research aimed to assist the development of improved drug therapies.
Click here to view the Nature paper that reported this research.
David joined the AS in 2011. He combines his research in the membrane structural biology field with providing user support and learning more about maintaining and improving MX beamlines.
Journal covers research
A new report on hydrogen storage research by a group of AS users and their collaborator Qinfen Gu, powder diffraction scientist at the AS, has been highlighted on the front cover of the Journal of Materials Chemistry A. The research investigated the impact of confining nanoparticles of an unstable metal borohydride, NaZn(BH4)3 within a mesoporous SBA-15 scaffold. The researchers concluded that this approach holds promise for stabilising metal borohydrides to achieve hydrogen release with high purity.