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©, Copyright Taylor & Francis. Interest in radiation damage to macromolecules during structural experiments has a long history dating back to 1962, when the first room-temperature study of the phenomenon was carried out on crystals of myoglobin [1], and this interest has not abated over the last few years, since there remains a need to understand both the parameters that affect radiation damage progression and also the artifacts produced by it. Although there is now a growing body of literature pertaining to this topic, clear and foolproof methods for experimenters to routinely minimize damage have yet to emerge. Additionally, radiation damage is also a concern and limiting problem in other methods used in structural biology, such as electron microscopy [2] and SAXS [3, 4]. However, the recently available free electron lasers (FELs) have presented the possibility and promise that samples will give “diffraction before destruction”; is this indeed the “cure” for the challenges of radiation damage?

Original publication

DOI

10.1080/08940886.2015.1101322

Type

Journal article

Journal

Synchrotron Radiation News

Publication Date

02/11/2015

Volume

28

Pages

15 - 19