# Macromolecular Crystallography Operations Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY · 2021 · $1,927,045

## Abstract

The GM/CA Macromolecular Crystallography (MX) Core has three main goals. We will provide a modern,
powerful environment for sample screening, fine sample examination via rastering, and data collection in
fixed-energy, SAD and MAD modes for single- or multi-crystal samples. GM/CA will create an intuitive,
sophisticated, biologist-friendly user interface for beamline control and data processing and analysis for
both on-site and remote users. We will implement beamline and software upgrades for optimal user
operations in order to take advantage of the upgraded APS source (APS-U), which will be realized within
this funding period. GM/CA Group Leader Dr. Robert Fischetti leads the MX Core, Dr. Craig Ogata
(Operations Section Lead) leads the user program, and Dr. Sergey Stepanov (Controls Section Lead)
leads the computing and networking effort. Beamlines 23ID-B and 23ID-D will be similarly configured with
high-quality X-ray beams, instruments and software for diffraction experiments at user-selectable
wavelengths with a beam of user-selectable size to enable macromolecular crystallography of
challenging biomedical problems. GM/CA will provide powerful, user-friendly control software and a safe
environment on the experimental floor for user experiments based on peer-reviewed applications for
beam time. We will complete a project to upgrade aging beamline optics and to increase the flux of the
5-m, 10-m and 20-m beams by focusing. With the upgraded optics, we will provide a beam down to
1-m diameter for the APS-U source and will implement an improved endstation for accurate sample
visualization and positioning, a scheme for rapid beam size changes between 1 m and 20 m, an
upgraded user interface for rapid sample scanning and data collection, and integration of data analysis
software to process multi-crystal datasets. We will test a variety of serial crystallography methods in order
to provide this capability to users at the start of APS-U. We will continue a multi-tiered maintenance
program to anticipate problems ahead of failures and provide full beamline capabilities to users for all
scheduled beam time.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10252001
- **Project number:** 5P30GM138396-02
- **Recipient organization:** ARGONNE NATIONAL LABORATORY
- **Principal Investigator:** ROBERT F. FISCHETTI
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $1,927,045
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10252001

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10252001, Macromolecular Crystallography Operations Core (5P30GM138396-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10252001. Licensed CC0.

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