National Crystallization Center: Access to Cutting-Edge 3D Structure Tools
Official title: National Crystallization Center: Enabling Access to State-of-the-Art Crystallization Capabilities
Funded at State University of New York at Buffalo · NIH-11422533 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A national center aims to provide researchers with world-class crystallization capabilities to determine 3D structures of biomolecules, helping advance drug design, biomaterials, and energy-related research.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University of New York at Buffalo NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Amherst, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2021 |
| Project end | July 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,125,700 |
| NIH project number | 2R24GM141256-07 |
| Project ID | NIH-11422533 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Researchers and clinicians working on diseases or therapies that require precise biomolecular structures and structure-guided design.
✕Less likely to help
Direct patient benefit may be indirect or long-term; not all health advances will translate immediately to individual patients.
What this research studies
This project focuses on enabling researchers to obtain high-resolution 3D structures of biomolecules by improving crystallization approaches and integrating computational tools. It addresses bottlenecks in macromolecular X-ray crystallography and leverages AI-based predictions to complement experimental data. By expanding access to advanced crystallization resources, it supports discoveries across medicine, materials science, and energy technologies from a patient-centered perspective through better therapies and novel biomaterials.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients could benefit from faster development of targeted drugs and new biomaterials for health and energy applications.
How similar studies have gone: Previous crystallography efforts and AI-augmented structure prediction have improved model accuracy, but challenges remain for hard targets like membrane proteins.
Where this research is happening
-
State University of New York at Buffalo
Amherst, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Bowman, Sarah Elizabeth Johnson — State University of New York at Buffalo
- Study coordinator: Bowman, Sarah Elizabeth Johnson
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.