The new Brazilian synchrotron light source, Sirius, from the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), carried out the first experiments on one of its beamlines this week. The first research station to start operating, still in the commissioning stage, can reveal details of the structure of biological molecules, such as viral proteins. These first experiments are part of an effort by CNPEM to provide a cutting-edge tool to the Brazilian scientific community working in SARS-CoV-2 research.
In these initial analyses, CNPEM researchers observed crystals of a coronavirus protein, essential for the development of COVID-19. The first results reveal details of the structure of this protein, important for understanding the biology of the virus and supporting research that seeks new drugs against the disease.