Center for Free-Electron Laser Science (CFEL), Hamburg, Germany

Q: WHAT IS THE FOCUS OF YOUR LAB’S RESEARCH?

A: The lab’s research focus is time-resolved crystallography of proteins. Many of the catalytic processes involved occur too rapidly for us to study effectively. Therefore, we use our synthetic chemistry lab to prepare photosensitive compounds called photocages which can be incorporated into the proteins to inhibit or hinder reactions. Because they are photosensitive, they enable us to control reaction speed, making the study of these catalytic processes possible.

Q: WHAT WAS YOUR PREVIOUS WORK FLOW OR CHALLENGE?

A: Previously I was working in pure organic chemistry and other related disciplines such as supramolecular chemistry and organocatalysis. So it was quite challenging to move into the crystallography field in a campus like Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) where there is almost no organic chemistry research undertaken.

Q: WHY DID YOU INCORPORATE THE EXPRESSION CMS INTO YOUR LABORATORY?

A: On the DESY campus there’s no chemistry department and, as a consequence, no instrumentation for the qualitative nor quantitative determination of organic compounds. With the Advion compact mass spectrometer we are now able to follow the process of most of our reactions which greatly facilitates our research.

Q: TO WHOM WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THE EXPRESSION CMS?

A: Organic chemists who are working continuously in the lab for the quick and easy determination of small molecules.