Science Brief - April 2025
ESRF - The European Synchrotron
The ESRF is an international research lab, where X-rays are used to unlock the secrets of matter.
Bioinspired controlled crystallisation: Towards sustainable artificial coral reefs and more
Inspired by nature, scientists have replicated some aspects of the biomineralisation process used by marine organisms like corals, enabling them to control crystal phases in materials. This advancement could lead, among others, to artificial coral reefs that seamlessly integrate into marine environments without disrupting the ecosystem.
Journal: Advanced Functional Materials
Chronos: New access mode for investigating slow processes
Chronos is a new access mode for users who want to investigate slow process that happen over time, such as natural processes like volcanic eruptions or fault movements. By supporting studies that mirror the pace of real geological and environmental processes, Chronos will help researchers generate deeper insights into how the Earth evolves.
Non-hormonal contraception visualised with X-rays
Scientists led by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm have discovered the mechanism by which a monoclonal antibody blocks fertilization, which could lead to a non-hormonal birth control method.
Journal: PNAS
Towards integrated multimodal structural biology
At the European Photon and Neutron (EPN) campus, where the ESRF is located, structural biologists can find multiple beamlines, instruments and support facilities available to carry out thorough investigations on molecules. These include advanced macromolecular crystallography using neutrons or X-rays, small-angle X-ray or neutron scattering, cryogenic electron microscopy, and spectroscopy.
Journal: Journal of Synchrotron Radiation
How an old drug could make a comeback against antibiotic resistance
In the quest for solutions to modern antibiotic resistance, researchers at Goethe University Hospital in Frankfurt, together with their colleagues from the ESRF and the EMBL Heidelberg are turning back to the past—and finding hope in an old, often-overlooked drug. Using X-ray nanofluorescence at the ESRF, they have uncovered how the rarely used antibiotic nitroxoline can fight back against drug-resistant bacteria. Their findings could spark renewed medical interest in the forgotten drug as a potential weapon against hard-to-treat infections.
Journal: Nature Communications
A highly stable and effective gold complex proves promising for anticancer treatment
Chemists have discovered a highly stable gold complex in both model conditions and intracellular environment that triggers mitochondrial damages and hence could be used as an anticancer treatment. They came to the ESRF to characterize the complex on two beamlines.
Journal: Angewandte Chemie International Edition
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