New home dedicated for Protein Data Bank
Archived article from Jan 21, 2000
By Joseph Blumberg
The scissors were so big that it took both President Francis L. Lawrence and chemistry Professor Helen Berman to cut the ribbon. The occasion was the Dec. 14 dedication of the new home for the Protein Data Bank, the Internet-accessible international archive for three-dimensional information on biological macromolecules. Newly renovated space was provided at Doolittle Hall on the Busch campus.
Lawrence welcomed attendees to the dedication, noting that the 21st century "is already being hailed as the Century of Biology. The Protein Data Bank housed here will help unlock the secrets of biological systems and aid us in solving the mysteries of human disease."
Medical researchers envision gaining new insights into the causes, effects and treatment of many diseases by uncovering the disease-fighting potential of biological macromolecules. This requires very precise and accurate information on the atomic structure of complex molecules. The Protein Data Bank contains this kind of sought-after information and serves as a tool in medical and pharmaceutical research. Each day, new structures are added to the archive, which now includes more than 11,300 entries available to researchers worldwide.
The Protein Data Bank is managed by a consortium founded by Rutgers, which also includes the San Diego Supercomputer Center and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It is supported by a $10 million, five-year award from the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health.
Under the direction of Berman, the Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics assumed management of the Protein Data Bank from the Brookhaven National Laboratory on July 1.
Lawrence further remarked that technology is crucial in dealing with huge volumes of scientific information, as is the case with the Protein Data Bank. "But we are still ultimately dependent on the intellect, fortitude and wisdom of our researchers to move our science forward," he said. "It is people with these qualities, exemplified by Professor Berman and her staff, who will make the Century of Biology happen."
|
