# MX Core

> **NIH NIH P30** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $1,912,606

## Abstract

NE-CAT operates two mature, state-of-the-art beamlines optimized for macromolecular crystallography at the
APS. The goal of the Macromolecular Crystallography (MX) Resource Operations Core is to provide user
access to these facilities, to maintain the facilities, and to make improvements so that NE-CAT remains state-
of-the-art. The most important component for providing access is user support and training. User support
requires about four FTE's, made up by contributions from eight staff scientists. About two FTEs are devoted to
user training and outreach, and about two FTEs, to beamline hardware and software maintenance and
development. The MX Core provides access 24/7, either on-site or on-call, for both on-site and remote users. It
maintains hardware and software for accurate, high speed data collection, including crystal screening,
SAD/MAD phasing, molecular replacement phasing, high resolution data acquisition, and methods for
obtaining data from challenging ("pathological") crystals. NE-CAT provides ultrastable, small X-ray beams for a
variety of microbeam applications. Special scanning techniques allow the user to ameliorate crystal damage,
locate crystals in opaque media, and assess the quality of localized regions within larger, inhomogeneous
crystals. The MX Core also provides full access to RAPD, NE-CAT's automated data collection and analysis
software. The MX Core will maintain existing beamline hardware and software at peak performance, through a
well defined, long-term plan for supporting the aging MD2 microdiffractometers and sample automounters and
for providing routine maintenance of motion control systems, critical vacuum and ultrahigh vacuum pumps, and
monochromator cryopumps. The MX Core will also maintain computer clusters, beamline and data analysis
computers, disk storage systems, and network infrastructure. Certain improvements will be essential for
keeping NE-CAT facilities at state-of-the-art. These fall into three areas: (1) beamline optics and
instrumentation, (2) computing infrastructure, and (3) RAPD software. Plans for beamline optics include
upgrades of the horizontal focusing mirror systems on both beamlines, installation of a ganged channel-cut
monochromator on 24-ID-C, improvements in the MD2 visualization system, and improvements of the
secondary focusing optics on 24-ID-E. These modifications and improvements are compatible with the APS
upgrade, anticipated in 2023. Computing upgrades include addition of faster nodes to the compute clusters,
additional disk storage for data collection, and upgrades of network infrastructure. Finally, we will implement
new externally developed data processing and analysis routines, to maintain state-of-the-art techniques, and
we will develop automated crystal screening and scoring systems.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10379341
- **Project number:** 5P30GM124165-05
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** MALCOLM S. CAPEL
- **Activity code:** P30 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $1,912,606
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-04-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10379341

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10379341, MX Core (5P30GM124165-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10379341. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*