Crystallography in Life Science: Unlocking the Secrets of Disease

Crystal structure analysis using X-rays is, in many cases, the only way to obtain detailed information about the structure of biological macromolecules so it has become a core component of pharmaceutical design and disease research. Innovations in crystallization and X-ray techniques in the last decade have given unprecedented insight into many global health threats and made their eradication a real possibility. HIV, tuberculosis, West Nile virus, influenza, all have come within the cross hairs of crystallographers.