This 5 minute SCIENCE SHORT delves into how scientists determine the structure of proteins and build pictures of them in order to design therapeutic drugs for malaria for example, amongst other important questions. The malaria protein shown decorates the surface of the malaria parasite and enables it to bind red blood cells. Jonathan presents the 3D structure of this protein in order to show just how much information they can get from “molecular photography.”
About SCIENCE SHORTS: Each short talk of approximately 5 minutes, explores a topic or area of research at CSHL. They were designed for non-scientific audience and given by a CSHL Ph.D. student or postdoc. So far we have covered the question “Why haven’t we cured cancer yet?“, the beautiful imagery generated by the important scientific technique of florescence microscopy, and, in this current installment, determining protein structures using “molecular photography.” Coming soon, the final one in this year’s series.