French-Swedish Academy for Scattering Experiments and Modeling (FASEM)
for Life Science: from experiments to data analysis
Following the success of the 2019 FASEM (French and Swedish School on Energy Materials) in Lund, a new FASEM, focused in Life Science, has been taking place in Lund, at the Institute of Advanced Neutron and X-ray Science (LINXS), from 11 to 15 March 2024.
FASEM 2024 advanced-school in Life Science has been organized with the support of the French Institute in Sweden/French Embassy in Sweden, the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), the Laboratoire Léon-Brillouin (LLB, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay), the Société Française de Neutronique (SFN)/Fédération Française de Diffusion Neutronique (2FDN), the European Spallation Source ERIC (ESS), the German neutron source (MLZ), the Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL), the MAX-IV laboratory, the French Synchrotron SOLEIL, the European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF), the Swedish Institute for Advanced Neutron and X-ray Science (LINXS) and the Lund Municipality.
The main objective of this advanced-school was to train researchers in biology, biophysics, pharmacology, soft matter for health to use X-ray (XR) and neutron scattering structural techniques (crystallography, small-angle scattering, reflectometry), ranging from experiments to complete and in-depth analysis of the data, based on mathematical and modeling approaches (e.g. analytical fits, ab initio modeling, artificial intelligence, Bayesian and multimodal methods). The complementarity of these scattering techniques with other structural biology methods, such as NMR, will be considered as well.
Another objective of FASEM was to promote the use of XR and neutron large-scale facilities, which are not yet currently used in biology. The new European neutron source, the European Spallation Source, ERIC (ESS) under construction in Lund and the 4th generation synchrotrons, like the MAX-IV in Lund and the ESRF in Grenoble, will lead to significant breakthroughs in scattering techniques, opening particularly interesting perspectives for structural biology. FASEM advanced school took place in Lund in order to encourage French and Swedish researchers to explore the new possibilities offered by these local resources.
Therefore, the school proposes lectures (theory, hands-on, applications, highlights), discussion sessions, and visits to the MAX-IV and ESS, respectively XR and neutron sources in Lund.
The proposed course has been structured around several main teaching sections:
- Review of radiation/matter interaction, description of X-ray and neutron scattering techniques that can be used in structural biology.
- Theoretical description of the possibilities offered by the main scattering techniques for studying the structure of biological macromolecules, and how they complement each other and with the other methods used in structural biology.
- Description of tools for quantitative and qualitative analysis and interpretation of experimental data.
- Scientific illustrations chosen for their relevance to the scientific theme and for their advanced combination of experiments and modelling or simulation.
- Instrumentation available from the various sources, preparation of biological samples and conduct of experiments; visit to the MAX-IV synchrotron and the ESS in Lund.
- A final part, actively involving participants and speakers, will be dedicated to the study of participants’ research projects to show how to apply the aspects presented.
THE PROGRAM OF THE SCHOOL
| Monday, 11/03/2024 (LINXS) | Tuesday, 12/03/2024 (LINXS) | Wednesday, 13/03/2024 (LINXS) | Thursday, 14/03/2024 (LINXS) | Friday, 15/03/2024 |
| Welcome words Sophie Combet (LLB, France) Anna Stradner (LINXS, Sweden) | Introduction to reflectometry Andrew McCluskey (Univ. Bristol, UK) | Diffraction hands-on Esko Oksanen & Justin Bergmann (ESS, Sweden) | Integrative Structural Biology, Mathematical tools and AI Sergei Grudinin (LJK CNRS, France) | Site tours (ESS and MAXIV) |
| Neutrons for soft and biological matter Giovanna Fragento (ESS, Sweden) | Reflectometry hands-on Andrew McCluskey (Univ. Bristol, UK) | FAIR data Massimiliano Novelli (ESS, Sweden | Highlight lecture:SAXS based programs for modeling the detergent belt in solubilized membrane protein complexes & re-orienting domains of multi-domain proteins Javier Perez (SOLEIL, France) | |
| Introduction to Small Angle Scattering Judith Houston (ESS, Sweden) | Highlight lecture: MD simulations Marie Lycksell (ILL, France) | SAS hands-on: geometrical analysis, SASview Wojciech Potrzebowski (ESS, Sweden) | Highlight lecture: Statistical Methods in SAS Andreas Larsen (KU, Denmark) | |
| Ab initio modeling for SAS hands-on Alexandros Koutsioumpas (MLZ, Germany) | Introduction to diffraction William Shepard (SOLEIL, France) | Highlight lecture: Industrial application Sindra Petersson Årsköld (ESS, Sweden) | Sample preparation: biodeuteration and crystallization Zoë Fisher (ESS, Sweden) | |
| Students’ presentations | Highlight lecture: Complementary techniques Frank Gabel (ILL, France) | Sample environment II Anne Martel (ILL, France) | ||
| Q/A: Work on your own data |
PHOTO REVIEW OF THE LAUNCH OF THE FIRST DAY OF FASEM 2024
The school kicked off on Monday 11 March 2024 with the welcoming words of Sophie Combet (LLB, France) and Anna Stradner (LINXS, Sweden) to the 26 students attending FASEM 2024, the organizing team, the scientific advisers and several teachers.
Then, the day continued with presentations by a presentation on Neutrons for soft and biological matter by Giovanna Fragento (ESS, Sweden), an Introduction to Small Angle Scattering by Judith Houston (ESS, Sweden) and a presentation on Ab initio modeling for SAS hands-on by Alexandros Koutsioumpas (MLZ, Germany).
The day ended with presentations of the students’ work.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE FASEM INITIATIVE
As part of the Franco-Swedish partnership for innovation and green solutions, the French Institute of Sweden at the French Embassy had co-organised at LINXS, with Grenoble-Alpes University and the European Spallation Source (ESS) an advanced thematic school on X-ray and Neutron techniques for the study of functional materials for energy, FASEM 2019.
The objectives of the FASEM advanced-schools, are to build up capacity between France and Sweden, and to prepare the future generation of users of the new facilities (ESS and MAX-IV synchrotron). The initiative of a recurrent FASEM advanced-school is in line with the “French Swedish Innovation Partnership for Sustainable, Digital and Resilient society” signed during the French President’s state visit to Sweden in January 2024.
Thank you to all the organizing team!
This school is mainly organized by the LLB, ESS, French Embassy, and LINXS and composed of:, ESS, French Embassy, and LINXS.
- Sophie Combet sophie.combet@cea.fr, LLB (CEA-CNRS)
- Christine Darve christine.darve@ess.eu, ESS
- Rose-Adeline Fakoury science@ifsuede.com, French Embassy
- Valérie Lemarquand Valerie.lemarquand@diplomatie.gouv.fr, French Embassy
- Josefin Martell josefin.martell@linxs.lu.se, LINXS
- Anna Ntinidou anna.ntinidou@linxs.lu.se, LINXS
- Esko Oksanen esko.oksanen@ess.eu, ESS
- Wojciech Potrzebowski Wojciech.Potrzebowski@ess.eu, ESS/DMSC
Advisers:
- Trevor Forsyth trevor.forsyth@med.lu.se LINXS
- Giovanna Fragneto giovanna.fragneto@ess.eu ESS
Thank you to the sponsors!
- French Institute in Sweden/French Embassy in Sweden
- French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS)
- Laboratoire Léon-Brillouin (LLB, CNRS, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay)
- Société Française de Neutronique (SFN)/Fédération Française de Diffusion Neutronique (2FDN)
- European Spallation Source ERIC (ESS)
- German neutron source (MLZ)
- Institute Laue-Langevin (ILL)
- MAX-IV Synchrotron
- French Synchrotron SOLEIL
- European Synchrotron Research Facility (ESRF)
- Swedish Institute for Advanced Neutron and X-ray Science (LINXS)
- Lund Municipality