The National Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS), part of the National Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), held the 1st edition of the MANACÁ Workshop – Fundamentals and Practices of Macromolecule Crystallography Using Synchrotron Light: From Protein Crystallization to Structural Determination, from August 4 to 7, 2025. This four-day workshop focused on theoretical and practical training in the foundations and advanced techniques of protein crystallography. Among the main topics covered were protein crystallization, macromolecular X-ray crystallography (MX), data collection and processing, and new emerging trends in structural biology. Participants had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience by working with their own samples or with samples provided by the MANACÁ beamline, performing data collection and analysis of the results.
This in-person, hands-on course was aimed at undergraduate and graduate students and researchers working with protein expression and purification, interested in applying X-ray crystallography to their fields of study. The main objective was to promote the use of macromolecular crystallography by X-ray diffraction in the Brazilian structural biology community, training new users, especially in research groups that do not yet have expertise in this technique. Due to the practical nature of the activities, the number of vacancies was limited, and therefore a selection process is carried out. Interested candidates had to submit a summary of their current research, as well as a motivation letter detailing their interest in participating in the workshop.
Selected participants had the opportunity to submit protein samples for analysis during the workshop, in the form of crystals or pure proteins in solution. The samples in solution was crystallized using the ROBOLAB facility (LNBIO/CNPEM). Although sending samples was not mandatory, the organizers strongly recommended this practice. In addition, participants had the chance to present their research projects in an oral presentation session, which included the issuance of a certificate. The presentations, based on the abstracts submitted at the time of registration, represented an excellent opportunity to discuss, with experts in structural biology, techniques that can be applied in scientific investigations.
