SPring-8, the large synchrotron radiation facility

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Call for COVID-19 rapid access proposals

Release Date
07 Apr, 2020
  • BL32XU (RIKEN Targeted Proteins)
  • BL44XU (Macromolecular Assemblies)
  • BL45XU (Structural Biology III)

7 April, 2020
Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute(JASRI)

COVID-19 is currently spreading around the world, and overcoming it is an urgent issue. Research on this virus is ongoing worldwide, but the effects of the infection have also hindered the activities of some research facilities. Under such circumstances, drug discovery-related research aimed at promptly analyzing and overcoming the infectious disease will be accepted as a rapid access proposal using the SPring-8 PX(/MX)-beamlines. Even in the suspended period of user operations, COVID-19 related research is possible.

Calling for general proposals at SPring-8 is, in principle, held on a regular basis, but "Urgent Proposals," which are non-proprietary rapid access proposals for extremely important public and urgent research is also available. It will not require the Beamtime Fee. These applications are promptly reviewed in a timely manner regardless of the regular deadline for submissions.
On the other hand, experiments for proprietary use will be dealt with by the time-designated proprietary proposals (with Beamtime Fee). These applications submitted will also be reviewed promptly.

With urgent proposals, we will accept the research subjects aimed at analyzing and overcoming COVID-19, more specifically, searching for antiviral drugs and these molecular designs. Therefore, the target samples of the research will be proteins and/or nucleic acids, which derived from SARS-CoV-2 and its related viruses, and the drug candidates related to them.
In any kinds of the proposals, the safety of experiments and samples has been reviewed in advance by the relevant committees in SPring-8. Therefore, the same standards for safety also apply in these proposals. Our MX-beamlines only allow experiments under bio-safety level 1 (BSL-1).

Now the user operation is suspended. The users from outside of the campus cannot come into the SPring-8. All these experiments are only conducted using mail-in service, ZOO system, or remote access. For complete information, please contact us.

Summary
・SPring-8 will accept rapid access proposals that promote COVID-19 research for the meanwhile with Urgent or Time-Designated proposals.
・Regarding safety, only samples that can be handled under BSL-1 are covered at the SPring-8 MX-beamlines.



Contact
Regarding MX-Beamline operation and management
Takashi Kumasaka
Protein Crystal Analysis Division, Center for Synchrotron Radiation Research,
Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI)
 TEL: +81-(0)791-58-0833, FAX: +81-(0)791-58-0830
 TEL:+81-(0) 791-58-0961 (JASRI User Administration Division)
 E-mail: kumasakaatspring8.or.jp

Regarding Macromolecular Assemblies Beamline(BL44XU
Atsushi NAKAGAWA
Research Center for Structural and Functional Proteomics
Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University
 Phone : +81-(0)6-6879-4313
 E-mail:bladminatprotein.osaka-u.ac.jp
 http://www.protein.osaka-u.ac.jp/recruitment/20200408_bl44xu

Regarding general inquiry and proposal submission
User Administration Division, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (JASRI)
 TEL:+81-(0)791-58-2785 FAX:+81-(0)791-58-2786
 E-mail:kouhou@spring8.or.jp