Better Tools and Better Knowledge for Structural Genomics

NIGMS Workshop on High-Accuracy Comparative Modeling

What's New -- updated 3/5/04 A report on the NIGMS PSI Workshop on High-Accuracy Comparative Modeling is now available -- click here.

Co-Chairs: John Moult and Richard Friesner

Time: October 20-21, 2003

Place: Natcher Conference Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

Purpose of the workshop: The purpose of this workshop is to invite experts in the field of protein structure modeling and related fields to identify the road blocks and share their visions on improving the quality of comparative models. Structural genomics is a globally fast-growing area following recent success in genome sequencing and technical breakthrough in X-ray crystallography and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The U.S. effort on structural genomics is mostly supported by the NIGMS Protein Structure Initiative. High-accuracy experimentally determined 3-D structures of representatives of large protein families will be generated at an ever increasing pace. Computational structure prediction will be made using the experimental structures as templates for the other protein family members. Current technology on homology modeling can produce structural models with high success rate for backbones and intermediate to low accuracy for side chains and loops.

Participation: Experts in the fields of protein structure modeling and other biological simulation/modeling will gather to share their visionary views of how to improve the accuracy of protein structure prediction using comparative modeling approaches.  A limited number of seats will be reserved for observers on a first-come-first-served basis.

For more information about the workshop, contact Jerry Li, Ph.D., at (301) 594-0828 or e-mail lij@nigms.nih.gov.