You are invited to the December ReNaFoBiS/FRISBI Zoom webinar. Hosted by Instruct Centre FR1, the webinar will see Dr Waldek Minor give a talk on the topic of Structural Biology Response to Biomedical Threats.
The webinar will begin Dec 8, 2021 04:00 PM CET.
Abstract:
Structural information, mainly derived by X-ray crystallography and Cryo-Electron Microscopy, is the quintessential prerequisite for structural-guided drug discovery. However, accurate structural information is only one information necessary to understand the big picture of medical disorders. To provide a rapid response to emerging biomedical challenges and threats like COVID-19, we need to analyse medical data in the context of other in-vitro and in-vivo experimental results. This approach may revolutionize drug discovery, albeit only when these data are combined and analysed with effective data management framework like Advanced Information System proposed in 2017. The recently published virusMED system is a blueprint for Advanced Information Systems.
Pr. Wladek Minor (Harrison Distinguished Professor, Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia, USA)
Prof. Wladek Minor received his Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of Warsaw in Solid State Physics. After moving to the United States in 1985 and working at Purdue University, he gradually switched to macromolecular crystallography. He joined the University of Virginia faculty in 1995. He was tenured in 1998 and promoted to full professor in 2003. In 2016, he became Harrison Distinguished Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics. He has been developing experimental protocols and computational methods for neutron scattering and X-ray diffraction since graduate school. After starting his independent career, he continued developing software within HKL, HKL-2000, and HKL-3000. He also worked on advanced solutions to other crystallographic problems: (a) Identification and refinement of metals in macromolecular structures; (b) Determination and analysis of macromolecular structures related to drug transport and drug discovery; (c) Reproducibility, ligand identification, and validation in structural biology; (d) Data mining, management, and access to primary experimental data; (e) Protocols and tools for more reliable structure determination, including the application of AI; (f) Analysis of COVID-19 structures and actions necessary to prepare for a possible future pandemic. He published more than 230 papers that attracted more than 47,000 citations. He is a co-author of more than 450 Protein Data Bank deposits. Dr. Minor has trained over 110 people that are very successful in academia, industry, and medicine. Dr. Minor's research is often reported in general media outlets, which helps taxpayers understand why investments in basic science are the best investments for the country's future.
