MAX IV and ESS for life and medical sciences

MAX IV and ESS are two large research infrastructures run by Lund University that researchers at KI can use. MAX IV generates radiation in terms of photons and ESS in terms of neutrons for imaging, spectroscopy and diffraction measurements at dedicated experimental stations. Get started with MAX IV and ESS!

European Spallation Source (ESS) is a European research infrastructure with contributions from 17 nations including Sweden. ESS will deliver an outstanding neutron intensity meaning that measurements can then be done 20-200 times faster at ESS compared to any other neutron sources in the world. The ESS user program is estimated to start in 2028. 

European Spallation Source (ESS)

MAX IV is a Swedish synchrotron light source that can generate many photons per seconds while photon angular divergence, beam cross-sectional area and photon frequency bandwidth are small. The high brilliance enables novel synchrotron radiation imaging and diffraction experiments when exposing biological samples at MAX IV.  

MAX IV Laboratory

Community activities

Coming events

Information

How to apply MAX IV and ESS in your research?

New ESS and MAX IV users are advised to contact local staff to discuss project feasibility prior to write a specific MAX IV beamline, or ESS instrument, application for peer-review. Successful applicants can then use that beamline free of charge, however costs for visits and sending samples remain. Karolinska Institutet researchers can address complex research questions by exposing tissue and biological samples to these unique radiation sources. 

ESS neutrons and MAX IV photons can be used for imaging, spectroscopy and scattering experiments. Below we will share links to events and information that might benefit researchers new to MAX IV and ESS. We need to familiarize ourselves with these tools to ask suitable research questions and prepare our samples accordingly.  We present a selected set of MAX IV and ESS instruments related to life science and link to active KI researchers for guidance and collaboration. We also guide readers to local sample preparation facilities and other actors pushing for an increased use of large-scale research facilities for Swedish life-science.  The requirement of guidance has recently been acknowledged by the Swedish Research Council.

KI researchers and core-facilities related to BioMAX

Macromolecular X-ray crystallography is used by many researchers at Karolinska Institutet and besides BioMAX staff you may want to contact one of the many local research groups using BioMAX for more info and perhaps collaborations:

Karolinska Institutet also hosts a dedicated core facility (Protein Science Facility) to assist all researchers going from gene or interest into 3D structure determination via cloning, protein expression, purification, crystallization, X-ray data collection, phasing, 3D model building and deposition in the Protein Data Bank.  PSF assemble research output from local KI researchers in collectively applying for BioMAX beamtime shared and discussed at regular user meetings. Sample preparation, i.e. the early steps of molecular cloning, protein expression, purification and crystallization to obtain well-ordered crystals, is the key to a successful X-ray diffraction measurement at BioMAX or MicroMAX.

Sample preparation facilities 

Both ESS and MAX IV have local sample preparation facilities in near proximity to the measurement stations. The ESS Science Support Systems encompass seven different platforms for sample preparation for various types of neutron experiments. 

Several sample preparation facilities are also available in Sweden for instance all scattering beamlines require crystals of macromolecules to be generated at:

and in the many research groups using X-ray crystallography spread across Swedish universities. 

NMX Neutron crystallography diffraction at ESS require large deuterated crystals perhaps made at:

where DEMAX is co-localized with the Lund Protein Production Platform.  Please find a success story regarding DEMAX preparing samples for Neutron reflectometry measurements at ISIS.

Get involved with MAX IV and ESS

The Swedish Research Council want to optimize Swedish use of MAX IV and ESS, and initiatives such as SWEDNESS graduate school for neutron research, and LINXS Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science also contribute

LINXS

LINXS Institute of advanced Neutron and X-ray Science aim to promote science and education focusing on the use of neutrons and X-rays.  LINXS’ work is based around Themes, governed by a core group, with multiple working groups organizing activities. Themes run for about three years and develop networks, research and activities in different fields of science. Moreover LINXS are building a research community for neutron and X-ray science and are organizing
Conferences, workshops and events. There are educational opportunities from past LINXS events online.

InfraLife

InfraLife is a collaboration between SciLifeLab, ESS and MAX IV that aim to increase collaboration between these large-scale research infrastructures.