In Hungary, there are numerous high-quality research infrastructures that are internationally competitive and would successfully hold their ground anywhere in the world. Therefore, at the initiative of the NKFIH, the "TOP 50" excellent research infrastructure competition was launched to identify and catalog the best research sites and infrastructure networks in Hungary, organizing them into a searchable database to ensure international visibility. Under this program, coordinated by the NKFIH, the best domestic infrastructures were selected at the end of 2021, earning the title of Excellent Research Infrastructure.
In the competition organized by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, the Protein Modeling Research Group, Structural Chemistry and Biology Laboratory led by András Perczel from the ELTE Institute of Chemistry won the Excellent Research Infrastructure certification in the Health and Food Sciences category.
Activities of the Protein Modeling Research Group, Structural Chemistry and Biology Laboratory:
In recent times, cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has undergone significant technical advancements in terms of sensitivity and resolution. Alongside our lab's X-ray and 500-700 MHz NMR equipment, this technology revolutionizes several research fields from basic and applied research, materials and drug research, to macromolecular chemistry and molecular biology. Cryo-EM allows us to solve the spatial structure of macromolecules and their complexes (proteins, DNA, RNA, etc.) that are 100 kDa or larger. Our development goal is therefore to establish a cryo-EM laboratory (200 and 300 kEv) and to acquire a complementary solid-state NMR system, which will enable us to become even more efficient and competitive structural researchers and to support our cooperating partners. Alongside our existing peptide and protein production capabilities and our current and planned structural research tools, we will be able to effectively serve both exploratory research and our industrial collaborations.
The scientific committee evaluated the applications submitted by the research sites based on several indicators, including industrial and supplier relations, human resources, international connections, and innovation and scientific metrics.
