Large-Area CCD X-Ray Detector

Opening Up New Horizons in the Study of Cellular and Metabolic Processes, Genetics, and Drug Development

2000 R&D 100 Award Winner!

High-energy synchrotron beamlines that generate the world's most brilliant X-rays (a trillion times brighter than clinical medical X-rays) provide scientists with a valuable tool for studying extremely small crystals and complex and/or large molecular structures. However, the usefulness of these beamlines in key areas of study was limited by the lack of X-ray detectors having the large surface area, high speed, and resolution required to accurately measure the data generated. Argonne's large-area, CCD X-ray detector removes most of those limitations and now allows researchers to study proteins and DNA molecules at unprecedented speeds — with subatomic resolution (on a scale much smaller than the distance between the molecule's atoms).

The CCD detector plays a critical role in understanding biological processes and developing new drugs (as most pharmaceutical drug targets consist o. proteins). It captures the structural data of human enzymes, toxins, receptors, metabolic and genetic regulators, viruses, and other molecular components, as well as complexes of potential new drug molecules and their protein targets.

The detector is in place at Argonne's Structural Biology Center at the Advanced Photon Source, helping scientists to better understand crystallography data.

Argonne's research was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, and the National Institutes of Health.

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Argonne's R&D 100 Awards

For more information, contact Argonne's Office of Technology Transfer (800-627-2596, partners@anl.gov).