14-Feb-2020
From 14 February 2020, the Finnish Infrastructure for Integrative Structural Biology will open its doors to European scientists as Instruct Centre FI. The new Instruct Centre, which has sites at the Universities of Helsinki, Oulu and Eastern Finland, will offer technology and expertise in sample preparation, characterisation, and structure determination. The launch of Instruct Centre FI recognises the scientific excellence of the Finnish Infrastructure for Integrative Structural Biology and acknowledges its commitment to delivering world-class services to the pan-European structural biology community.
Professor Sarah Butcher, Instruct Finland Chair, University of Helsinki, said that “I’m delighted that after years of work Finland finally joined the Instruct-ERIC in 2019 and now the Finnish Instruct Centre is ready to offer high-end sample preparation and structural biology techniques through the Instruct catalogue.”
Dr. Hanna Oksanen, Instruct Finland Coordinator, University of Helsinki, commented that “there have been many people who have contributed and this success is thanks to them. Now all staff, researchers and students from Finland are eligible to apply for funded access to advanced technologies and services at all Instruct sites and use for the training and mobility opportunities.”
Dr. Marko Uutela, who is a Science Advisor at the Academy of Finland and is the Finnish delegate at the Instruct-ERIC Council, summarised that “Instruct-ERIC membership will promote high-impact research, interdisciplinarity, and mobility, facilitate integration of Finnish researchers in networks of excellence within Europe and beyond, and enhance the international profile of Finnish science.”
Susan Daenke, Instruct-ERIC Hub Coordinator, remarked that “the high-quality technologies and expertise of Instruct Centre FI are a valuable addition to the Instruct technology catalogue. We anticipate that our evolving partnership with the Finnish Infrastructure for Integrative Structural Biology will facilitate important research discoveries in molecular bioscience.”
University of Helsinki Infrastructure for Integrated Structural Biology
The University of Helsinki provides expertise in integrated structural biology methods, including techniques for the purification and analysis of biological complexes. Services, which are a joint operation of the Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences and the HiLIFE-Institute of Biotechnology, include biomolecular complex purification, cryo-electron microscopy, segmental isotope labelling for nuclear magnetic resonance and neutron scattering, and single cell proteomics.
Biocenter Oulu Infrastructure for Structural Biology
Biocenter Oulu provides core facilities for protein crystallography and molecular biophysics. Technologies for protein crystallography include protein crystallisation and in-house data collection capabilities, linked to the development of the IceBear (Integrated Crystal-data-tracking Enhancing Biochemistry Education And Research) software. Structural studies can be complemented by a range of biophysical methods for sample characterisation and to study macromolecular interactions.
University of Eastern Finland Infrastructure for Native Mass Spectrometry
The University of Eastern Finland specialises in intact protein characterisation, with high-resolution native mass spectrometry techniques. Services include protein characterisation, analysis of protein folding and dynamics, and protein interaction studies. The facility houses a state-of-art 12-T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) mass spectrometer and trapped ion mobility time-of-flight mass spectrometer. Remote access to the FT-ICR instrument will be available in 2020.
Visit the Instruct Centre FI Structural Biology Laboratories
You can find all of the services on offer from Instruct Centre FI in the Instruct-ERIC technology catalogue. Instruct-FI and all other Instruct Centres are open to applications from academic and industry scientists, with funding available to academic researchers from Instruct Member Countries.
