A shared vision for macromolecular crystallography over the next five years.

Area of Science:

• Structural Biology
• Biophysics
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Macromolecular crystallography (MX) is the primary method for determining biological macromolecule structures.
• Advancements in synchrotron sources and detectors are increasing data collection rates.
• Electron cryomicroscopy (Cryo-EM) is emerging as a competitive technique for structural biology projects.

Purpose of the Study:

• Analyze recent changes in MX data collection over five years.
• Examine the emergence of alternative structural biology methods.
• Project the future development of MX at synchrotrons over the next five years.

Main Methods:

• Review of historical data collection trends in MX.
• Analysis of emerging techniques like serial crystallography and pink-beam crystallography.
• Exploration of MX applications at low (<5 keV) and high (>25 keV) energies.

Main Results:

• Increased availability of synchrotron beamtime due to technological advancements.
• Growing prominence of specialized MX techniques (serial, pink-beam, variable energy).
• Need for new hardware and software to support emerging MX methods.

Conclusions:

• MX will continue to dominate structural biology, with specialized beamlines offering enhanced value.
• Emerging MX methods will broaden its applications in drug development and integrative structural biology.
• Advancements will enable MX to address more complex biological questions with high-resolution structures.