CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN 2008 VOL. 8, NO. 12 4193
Editorial 12th International Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules In this special issue (Vol 8, issue 12) of Crystal Growth & Design, we present peer-reviewed papers from the 12th International Conference on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules (ICCBM12). The series of 12 International Conferences on the Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules, combined with workshops for biomacromolecular crystallization, took place over the period 1985-2008 in the USA (four times), Germany (two times), China, France, Japan, Spain, Canada, and last the 12th in Cancun City, Mexico, May 6-9, 2008, for the first time in Latin America. At the ninth conference, held in Jena in 2002, the advisory board for the ICCBM series of meetings established the International Organization for Biological Crystallization (IOBCr). From the first conference in Stanford in 1985 to this most recent meeting in Cancun, the focus was to gain an increased understanding of the physicochemical mechanisms underlying the protein crystal nucleation and growth process and to disseminate recent technological advances in the protein to crystals structure field. Recent national and local structural genomics efforts around the world have reinforced the importance of improving the crystallization process. The ICCBM series of meetings have presented the joint efforts of scientists from the small molecule crystal growth community and from biochemists, biophysicists, and protein crystallographers at understanding the underlying principles of protein crystal nucleation and growth. Particular attention was given to themes that were recurrent through all the ICCBMs: purity and impurities, solution properties of macromolecules under precrystallization conditions, microgravity and assessment of crystal quality. The specific trends for applications in nanobiotechnology, the practical interest to protein crystallography, and protein crystal growth were considered for the ICCBM12. The challenge now is to translate the understanding gained to obtaining higher success rates, both in the percentage of proteins crystallized and the diffraction quality of the crystals obtained. Impact on the Society. This last conference, the ICCBM12, has benefited Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows from different countries. Particularly from Mexico, most of the undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, scientists from different universities, industry, and different countries attended the workshop to learn the state-of-the art in the crystallization
and crystal growth methods of proteins. This ICCBM12 conference held in Mexico permitted a seed to grow in the field of crystal growth of biological macromolecules. Participants. There were 150 attendees for this ICCBM12 conference, and additionally 40 invited professors participated as keynote lecturers, invited speakers, and professors/instructors/ trainers for the workshop. During the workshop (International School On Biomacromolecular Crystallization, ISBC-12) we had the participation of 75 attendees. Among them, 30 Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows, and young scientists were awarded by the ICCBM12 organizing committee with lodging and food expenses and a few of them with a traveling support via the financial support of our academic and industrial sponsors. Acknowledgments. The organizing committee of the ICCBM12 acknowledges the financial support by the following academic institutions: UNAM, Instituto de Quı´mica-UNAM, CTIC-UNAM, IOBCr, IUCr, CONACYT (Mexico), PROADUSEP (Secretaria de Educacio´n Publica, Subsecretaria de Educacio´n Superior, Direccio´n General de Educacio´n Superior Universitaria, SEP-Mexico), Posgrados en Ciencias Quı´micas y Ciencias Biome´dicas (UNAM). Additionally, we fully thank the financial/consumables support of our corporative sponsors: Hampton Research Co., Douglas Instruments, Ltd., Jena Bioscience GmbH, Technology Networks, Merck America, Sigma Aldrich, Triana Science and Technology, Molecular Dimensions Ltd., Bruker AXS, Microlytic, Centeo Bioscience Ltd., Rigaku Americas Corporation, Oxford Diffraction (Varian, Inc.), Malvern Instruments Ltd., Carl Zeiss Inc., Emerald Biosystems, Micra Ingenieria, S.A. de C.V., and the journal Crystal Growth & Design of the American Chemical Society. Marc L. Pusey and Joseph Ng Guest Editor, UniVersity of Alabama, HuntsVille, Alabama Abel Moreno Guest Editor and ICCBM12 Chair, Instituto de Quı´mica, UniVersidad Nacional Autonoma de Me´xico, Circuito Exterior, C.U. Mexico D.F. 04510 Mexico
10.1021/cg801204y CCC: $40.75 2008 American Chemical Society Published on Web 11/12/2008
CG801204Y
