NECAT is giving priority to COVID-19 research while accepting all GUP beamtime requests.
On June 15, 2020, Argonne and the Advanced Photon Source started a phased, coordinated process to return to normal operations. The first phase of the transition is from minimum safe operations – the state APS was in starting March 21 – to a stage known as limited operations.
Structural work on SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease, SARS-CoV-2-PLpro, required for processing viral polyproteins to generate a functional replicase complex and enable viral spread has been featured as a highlight on the APS website.
Work on SARS-CoV-2 RNA capping by the lab of Yogesh Gupta using NE-CAT and previously published at BioRxiv has now been published at Nature Communications, featured on the Science Board website and is also a highlight on the APS website
SARS-CoV-2 is a zoonotic virus that has caused a pandemic of severe respiratory disease—COVID-19— within several months of its initial identification. Comparable to the first SARS-CoV, this novel coronavirus’s surface Spike (S) glycoprotein mediates cell entry via the human ACE-2 receptor, and, thus, is the principal target for the development of vaccines and immunotherapeutics.
Per the Illinois Stay-At-Home Order, NE-CAT has only has available beamtime for COVID-19 related research. On-site access is not available and all data collection must be conducted remotely.
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On February 18, 2020, in support of the COVID-19 outbreak, NE-CAT provided rapid access beamtime to researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research working on the the SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein receptor-binding-domain. The novel coronavirus's surface Spike (S) glycoprotein mediates cell entry via the human ACE-2 receptor, and is the principal target for the development of vaccines and immunotherapeutics.
Rapid Access Beamtime is available for all research projects related to COVID-19.
The APS is currently in shutdown for maintenance until the end of January and NE-CAT has used this opportunity to move the EIGER2 from the dry lab and onto the C beamline. The new detector still needs its protective cover, colloquially called the guillotine, manufactured by Ed Lynch before commissioning proceeds.
The first EIGER2 X 16M in the United States has arrived safely at NE-CAT. This is the largest detector in the EIGER2 line with a 75 x 75 μm pixel and 18,093,576 pixels. It will provide rapid and accurate photon counting. Pascal Hofer and Zachary Brown from Dectris are on-site for initial testing of the detector in the dry lab. We can report that all 32 modules are alive.
