Structural biologists share their toys

摘要

To study the components of a cell, from proteins to organelles, scientists need a barrage of high-end equipment that no one laboratory can afford. Researchers typically access the tools they don't have at collaborating labs or national centres. But with the launch of the Instruct network on 23 February, structural biologists across Europe have teamed up to make this sharing more systematic. Instruct links up 22 structural-biology centres, allowing researchers to access a range of equipment and expertise in a single request, says Instructs head David Stuart, a structural biologist at the University of Oxford, UK.