Research project Resolving non-equilibrium biomolecular transitions with coherent X-rays
The environment inside a cell is highly crowded, which can alter drastically the behaviour of macromolecular in solution. Such crowding effects can induce the formation of biomolecular condensates, which are liquid-like membrane-less droplets. Despite the general occurrence of biomolecular condensates, the physical mechanism governing the early stages of their formation is still debated.
The proposed research aims to provide new exciting experimental insights towards a general framework that predicts and explains the phase behavior of macromolecules. The project's timing is ideal as it utilizes diffraction-limited storage rings (DLSRs) and X-ray free electron lasers (XFELs), which are supported by the Swedish Research Council. The strength of the proposed coherent X-ray techniques is that they allow to capture non-equilibrium structural dynamics at unprecedented resolution, reaching protein molecular level sensitivity and sub-microsecond timescales. The proposed investigations not only train new scientists but also contribute to Sweden's long-term competitiveness in X-ray science.
