The XBI BioLab for life science experiments at the European XFEL Han Huijong

Huijong Han, Ekaterina Round, Robin Schubert, Yasmin Gul, Jana Makroczyova, Domingo Meza, Philipp Heuser, Martin Aepfelbacher, Imrich Barak, Christian Betzel, Petra Fromme, Inari Kursula, Poul Nissen, Elena Tereschenko, Joachim Schulz, Charlotte Uetrecht, Jozef Ulicnym Matthias Wilmanns, Janos Hajdu, Victor S. Lamzi, Kristina Lorenzen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

The science of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) critically depends on the performance of the X-ray laser and on the quality of the samples placed into the X-ray beam. The stability of biological samples is limited and key biomolecular transformations occur on short timescales. Experiments in biology require a support laboratory in the immediate vicinity of the beamlines. The XBI BioLab of the European XFEL (XBI denotes XFEL Biology Infrastructure) is an integrated user facility connected to the beamlines for supporting a wide range of biological experiments. The laboratory was financed and built by a collaboration between the European XFEL and the XBI User Consortium, whose members come from Finland, Germany, the Slovak Republic, Sweden and the USA, with observers from Denmark and the Russian Federation. Arranged around a central wet laboratory, the XBI BioLab provides facilities for sample preparation and scoring, laboratories for growing prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, a Bio Safety Level 2 laboratory, sample purification and characterization facilities, a crystallization laboratory, an anaerobic laboratory, an aerosol laboratory, a vacuum laboratory for injector tests, and laboratories for optical microscopy, atomic force microscopy and electron microscopy. Here, an overview of the XBI facility is given and some of the results of the first user experiments are highlighted.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)7-21
Number of pages15
JournalJournal of Applied Crystallography
Volume54
DOIs
StatePublished - Feb 1 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • European XFEL (EuXFEL)
  • XBI Laboratory
  • coherent diffractive imaging (CDI)
  • free-electron lasers (XFELs)
  • sample preparation and characterization.
  • serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX)
  • singleparticle imaging (SPI)
  • structural biology
  • time-resolved experiments

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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