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The ILL strengthens its research capabilities by modernising two key instruments (D11 and NeXT-MoTo) to address major challenges in health, energy transition and sustainable technologies. Supported by the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and the European Union, this project represents a €1.8 million investment under the CPER EPN 2030 (State-Region Plan Contract).

Researchers used neutrons and X-rays to look into the structure of spaghetti at the nanometre scale, comparing the effect of cooking and salt in gluten-free and gluten-containing pasta.

The European Photon and Neutron (EPN) campus in Grenoble is also a unique place for structural biology research. A review paper on the current and future perspectives for structural biology at the EPN campus has just appeared on the Journal of Synchrotron Radiation.

Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are used to treat a large variety of diseases. In order to allow patients to inject these therapeutic molecules autonomously, it is crucial to understand the origin of and to control their viscosity. An international team of researchers used an interdisciplinary approach to understand how molecular interactions and motions influence the viscosity of different mAbs. The study has now been published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.

How neutrons help us understand the industrial production of therapeutic molecules

HIV/AIDS remains a major global health challenge, with an estimated 39 million people living with the disease and 1.5 million new infections each year. Though antiretroviral therapy provides effective treatment and prevention, limitations arise due to inadequate adherence to the required lifelong daily drug regimen. There is thus significant interest in the development of long-acting drug delivery systems that enable consistent and sustained drug release for extended periods. Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast have recently published proof-of-concept of a long-acting drug delivery platform based on a novel peptoid-peptide material. The contribution to this work by the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) demonstrates, once again, the facility’s dedication to the provision of neutrons for society.

The goal of this study was to complete the mapping of the dynamics of the well-known protein Hsp90 by studying the 5-500 ns timescale using a combination of state-of-the-art complementary techniques, and to take the first steps towards understanding how this timescale relates to the slower dynamics known to drive the protein’s functioning.

In september 2022, we celebrated 50 years of D11 and its exceptional delivery of high quality science in biology, chemistry, soft matter and materials science. …

Polymers – macromolecules composed of repeating subunits called monomers – are everywhere. Proteins, DNA, starch and cellulose are all examples of naturally occurring polymers, while synthetic polymer materials – considered one of the most important inventions of modern times – are involved in mos…

Nanoparticles and large molecules are everywhere in advanced materials and pharmaceutical products. From touchscreens to protein drugs, the stabilisation of these particles is central to their ability to perform their required function. For instance, vaccine formulations, which use proteins or nuc…

Insulin is a hormone that is rapidly secreted into the blood, following a meal, in order to control blood glucose levels. These pulses of insulin secretion enable the body to take up and store sugar and quickly return blood glucose to normal levels. Diabetes, which affects 1 in 10 people in Europe, occurs when this process goes wrong.The endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a protein-producing compartment…

Schematic, cross-sectional view of a PEM fuel cell. Hydrogen fuel is channelled to the anode, while oxygen from air is channelled to the cathode. At the anode, hydrogen is split into protons (H+) and electrons (e-). The PEM allows the protons to cross to the cathode, while the electrons travel vi…