Open-source software to advance protein structure research worldwide
Official title: DIALS: supporting structural biology through open source diffraction processing software
Funded at University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab · NIH-11398263 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A US-wide resource will maintain and expand DIALS, a free software tool that helps scientists determine protein structures from X-ray data, speeding up discoveries that can affect health and disease understanding.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Berkeley, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2024 |
| Project end | July 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $1,223,395 |
| NIH project number | 5R24GM154040-03 |
| Project ID | NIH-11398263 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Any patient-relevant research benefiting from structural biology may be impacted; clinicians and researchers who rely on protein structures could indirectly benefit.
✕Less likely to help
Individuals not connected to structural biology studies or drug design may not experience direct benefits.
What this research studies
This grant supports creating a national resource to sustain and improve the DIALS diffraction data processing software used by researchers at synchrotrons and X-ray free-electron lasers. By making the software faster and more reliable, we can help scientists process large amounts of data and get high-quality structures more quickly. The effort involves collaboration between institutions, refinement of open-source code, and infrastructure to support users who rely on X-ray data for biological insights. The work directly benefits researchers studying human diseases by enabling better structural models of disease-relevant proteins. Residents of the US may access enhanced tools and training through this national resource.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Patients could benefit indirectly from faster, more accurate protein structures that inform drug design and disease understanding.
How similar studies have gone: Open-source diffraction processing tools have enabled numerous high-impact structures, and expanding a national resource could amplify success.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab
Berkeley, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Brewster, Aaron Samuel — University of Calif-Lawrenc Berkeley Lab
- Study coordinator: Brewster, Aaron Samuel
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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.