2021 Annual MLZ Conference: Neutrons for Life Sciences

Life Sciences is a rapidly expanding field in the use of neutrons. The number of users at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz-Zentrum (MLZ) performing experiments related to life sciences is constantly growing. Be it contrast variation for matching out protein, DNA or lipids or the hunt for catalytical important hydrogen atoms, neutrons play an important role in determining structures of biologically relevant molecules or membranes. Neutron tomography on living plants or tissue uses the huge difference in incoherent scattering of hydrogen as compared to deuterium. Using incoherent and coherent inelastic neutron scattering, investigation of equilibrium dynamics of biological systems is possible on the picosecond and nanosecond time scale. With future neutron sources, time resolved investigations will become more and more important. Dedicated sample environment and additional in situ measurement techniques all optimized for small sample volumes will be needed in the future.

This is why the MLZ Conference 2021, initially planned for 2020, intends to bring together experts in the field of life sciences regardless whether they have used neutron scattering techniques or not. The conference will try to cover all relevant fields of life sciences and will discuss on how to improve neutron instrumentation, access to neutron beam time, sample environments and support labs for future life sciences users.

Topics: Protein structure, function and dynamics Biological membranes, surface and interfaces Drug design and delivery Biological processes Neutron and complementary methods in biology Life Sciences with neutrons in Russia Neutrons in the fight against virus diseases