Next Workshops:
May 15-19, 2023 Biophysical Methods Workshop at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda
for updated event information and registration, see https://www.nibib.nih.gov/news-events/meetings-events/biophysical-methods-protein-interactions
Course Description
This workshop will review the strategies of hydrodynamic and thermodynamic analytical methods for the characterization of biological macromolecules and their interactions in solution. We will discuss theoretical and practical aspects of sedimentation equilibrium and sedimentation velocity analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC), dynamic light scattering (DLS), small angle X-ray scattering (SAX), isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC), circular dichroism (CD), surface plasmon resonance (SPR), fluorescence spectroscopy, and mass photometry (MP).
This week-long workshop will start on Monday, May 15th at 8:30am and end on Friday, May 19th at 5pm. We will provide an introduction into the experimental aspects of AUC, DLS, and ITC, including the operation of the instruments, choice of buffers, selection of the detection systems, and the experimental design appropriate for the system under study. For the AUC, the assembly of the AUC cells and the operation of the XLA/I analytical ultracentrifuge will be discussed in detail. Over the course of the workshop advanced aspects of other biophysical methods, including theory, data analysis, and experimental strategy will be discussed. These lectures will be accompanied by practical computer exercises with the data analysis software.
Participant's presentations of their systems of interest and an informal discussion of their data will be an integral part of the workshop.
Target Audience
This workshop is aimed at researchers with at least basic experience in the applications of AUC, DLS, ITC, SPR/BLI, and/or fluorescence techniques for the characterization of biomacromolecules.
Workshop Organizing Committee
Grzegorz Piszczek, Ph.D.
Biophysics Core, NHLBI, NIH
Huaying Zhao, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Dynamics of Macromolecular Assembly, NIBIB, NIH
Workshop Program Advisory Committee
Chad Brautigam, Ph.D.
Department of Biophysics, UTSW Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
Rodolfo Ghirlando, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Molecular Biology, NIDDK, NIH
Alexander Grishaev, Ph.D.
UMD/NIST Institute for Bioscience & Biotechnology Research
Grzegorz Piszczek, Ph.D.
Biophysics Core, NHLBI, NIH
Peter Schuck, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Dynamics of Macromolecular Assembly, NIBIB, NIH
Huaying Zhao, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Dynamics of Macromolecular Assembly, NIBIB, NIH
Morning Introductory Lectures (for NIH only)
Monday 05/15/2023:
8:30 – 9:15 am Basic Principles of Analytical Ultracentrifugation (AUC)
9:15 – 10:00 am Introduction to Sedimentation Velocity (SV-AUC)
10:15 – 11:00 am Introduction to Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC)
Tuesday 05/16/2023:
8:30 – 9:15 am Introduction to Small Angle X-Ray Scattering (SAXS)
9:15 – 10:00 am Microfluidic Diffusional Sizing
Wednesday 05/17/2023:
8:30 – 9:15 am Hydrodynamic Parameter Estimates from Structures
9:15 – 10:00 am Introduction to Mass Photometry (MP)
10:15 – 10:45 am Surface Plasmon Resonance Optical Biosensing (SPR)
Thursday 05/18/2023:
8:30 – 9:15 am Static and Dynamic Light Scattering
9:15 – 10:00 am Introduction to Fluorescence Spectroscopy
Friday 05/19/2023:
8:30 – 9:15 am Global Multi-Method Analysis
9:15 – 10:00 am Determination of molecular mass and subunit arrangement of large protein assemblies by scanning transmission electron microscopy
10:15 – 11:00 am Introduction to Sedimentation Equilibrium (SE-AUC)
Workshop History:
The workshops have been held both at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda and in many international locations, such as the Institut de Biologie Structurale, Grenoble, France, University College London, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Uppsala Unversity, Medical School Hannover, University of Oxford, Centro Investigaciones Biologicas in Madrid, Spain, Yokohama City University, University Kaiserslautern, CNPEM Campinas, Dallas, IIMCB Warsaw, Tsinghua University, and Charles Unversity. Since 2004, more than 900 scientists from academia and industry of more than 20 countries have participated in the workshops, which has advanced numerous research projects and resulted in hundreds of publications.
