ISIS Bioscience Science Highlights

Bioscience Science Highlights

The main benefit of using neutrons to study biological systems is that they can generally possible to make one component of the system ‘disappear’ from the measurement. This makes it possible to focus on a specific aspect of a complex system, a real advantage in complex biological systems. Neutrons interact with the nucleus of atoms which means they have a different response to different isotopes. The most important case for biological experiments is the difference in scattering for hydrogen and deuterium.

The main current applications of neutron scattering to biological systems are in studying the structure of complexes in solution and membrane systems. Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) provides information on the size and shape of macromolecular complexes and is used to study multi-protein complexes. Reflection techniques are a powerful way of investigating structure at surfaces. It is possible, for instance, to investigate the association of a protein with model membranes, identifying penetration depth and other structural parameters.

Other instruments provide information on the dynamics of bio-macromolecules, or the structure of solvent around molecules, as well as atomic resolution structure of small molecules through crystallography and powder diffraction. Browse our bioscience highlight articles below:

Challenging assumptions about coherent scattering
A group of ISIS researchers has used neutron polarisation analysis to discover that coherent scattering in QENS protein studies cannot be fully attributed to the buffer solution, as previously thought.
Discovering how ionic liquids win the battle against bacterial cell membranes
A research team from Mumbai, India have used the IRIS beamline to reveal the physics behind the antibacterial properties of ionic liquids.
Your parcel has been delivered: RNA lipid nanoparticles as a drug delivery system.
Researchers from Lund University and the Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden came to ISIS to investigate the interaction between different components in lipid nanoparticles.
Antimicrobial peptides target the weak spot of enveloped viruses
Research conducted on ZOOM by a team from ISIS, the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore could help prevent future epidemics.
How water dynamics could be a new cancer biomarker
Researchers from the University of Coimbra have collaborated with researchers at ISIS to improve understanding of the normal-to-cancer transition by studying the dynamics of intracellular water during this process.
Neutron reflectometry uncovers how proteins stabilise interactions between cell membranes
A collaborative effort from the Universities of Birmingham, Oxford and ISIS has revealed that the PqiC lipoprotein helps to stabilise interactions between cell membranes, paving the way for future discoveries in membrane biochemistry.
Neutron scattering unveils detailed analysis of nanoscale building blocks which could benefit the study of biomaterials
A collaborative effort led by the University of Leeds using neutron scattering to provide detailed analysis of nanoscale building blocks, which could offer significant impact in the study of biomaterials.
Using neutrons to understand the skin barrier
Researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands have come to ISIS to improve understanding of the molecular differences between diseased and healthy skin.
A new generation of anticancer drugs
Researchers from University of Warwick are developing a new generation of organometallic anticancer drugs.
Sugar could be the answer to stabilising protein-based drugs for the pharmaceutical industry
NIMROD and Iris have been used to improve understanding of the effect of sugars, sucrose and trehalose, on protein stabilization.
You’ve got nano-mail. The role of SANS in lipid nanocarriers
Researchers from Prof Molly Stevens’ group at Imperial College London and Karolinska Institute with scientists from ISIS have exploited several techniques to gain structural understanding of lipid-based particles to support their clinical applications.
Nature Knows Best- how the use of geometry in biology could be applied to materials science
Geometry in biological molecules could be exploited to aid development of bio-inspired materials.
War leftovers and cancer therapies meet neutron techniques
Toxic leftovers from the world wars were studied alongside cancer therapy techniques on Vesuvio by researchers from Jagiellonian University in Poland
How hydrogels could turn the tide in the treatment of HIV
SANS facilities at ISIS and ILL are being used to develop HIV treatment gels.
Cycle Highlights - Summer 2023
As always, this ISIS experimental cycle has been an incredible, varied display of scientific experiments! Let us take a look back at some of the work our users were investigating this time…
Cycle Highlights!
During our last cycle the users were pulling out all the stops in every corner of science. Here are just a few select highlights of the research we have had going on at the facility during the last couple of months.
Designing a new drug delivery system for treating a global disease
A promising treatment for Leishmaniasis has been investigated using neutron scattering on Larmor.
Studying the influence of salts on α-synuclein aggregation, a hallmark of Parkinson’s disease
Researchers from the universities of Cambridge, Antwerp and Leeds have found that the mobility of water, and the salts that impact its mobility, is a key factor in protein aggregation.
A Spaghetti Special on SANS-2D!
Researchers from the ESS and RWTH Aachen University experiment with gluten-free spaghetti to uncover its nanostructure.
Using neutrons to find out how antimicrobial peptides kill bacteria
A team from the University of Manchester have used neutron reflectometry at ISIS and ILL to investigate how antimicrobial peptides kill bacteria.
Vesuvio enables comprehensive study of pasta properties
Researchers used an unprecedented combination of experimental techniques to characterise the glass transition temperature of dry rice pasta.
Using diffraction to understand the differences between healthy and diseased skin
In an uncommon experiment for the Larmor instrument, researchers have used neutron diffraction to study membranes like those in our skin.
Understanding how plant diseases do their damage
Neutron Reflectometry helps uncover the toxic activity of a plant pathogen.
Inelastic neutron scattering reveals the extent of active dissolution from Lucideon’s iCRT platform technology.
Lucideon, a leader in material technologies accessed inelastic neutron scattering at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source to explore and develop its drug delivery solutions and formulation development tools benefitting a range of industry sectors.
AstraZeneca uses Sans2D to understand potential new mRNA production method
Biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca recently developed an automated technique to generate lipid nanoparticles for mRNA delivery and used neutrons to investigate how it compared to standard production methods.
Unlocking the secrets of soil through time-of-flight neutron imaging and X-ray techniques
Researchers have used both x-ray and neutron imaging techniques to analyse the structure of organic matter within soil.
Molecular IgG3 structure paves the way for new applications of antibodies
A combination of scattering and analytical techniques has provided the first atomic-level structural model for the IgG3 antibody
Zwitterions as protein repellents
Researchers investigate how the length of the alkyll chain affects its reactions with water.
Life Sciences Vision
The UK government has published its Life Science Vision, setting out its ambitions for the sector over the next decade, and ISIS science supports many different areas of research relevant to this vision.
Designing toothpastes that are kinder to gums
Key ingredients in toothpastes and mouthwashes can occasionally act as irritants to the inside of the mouth. By looking at the way these ingredients interact with thin films of spit, researchers hope to develop new, less irritant, formations.
Unpicking nano-staples to control protein unfolding during network formation
A group of researchers has discovered that the process of a protein unfolding plays a defining role in the structure and mechanical properties of wider protein networks.
Human tissue measured for the first time using QENS
Researchers from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, are carrying out the first Quasi-Elastic Neutron Scattering investigations on human tissue samples to investigate the difference between cancerous and non-cancerous cells.
Sugar-free antibodies find it harder to function properly
Research from a co-funded ISIS PhD studentship has found that the sugars on antibodies are key to the way they interact with immune receptor cells in the body.
Building a catalogue of amino acid neutron scattering interactions
Researchers have completed an in-depth characterisation of the thermal neutron cross sections of all twenty amino acids, developing a new model that can be easily applied to other organic materials.
Gaining new insights into a cancer-causing protein
Neutron reflectometry has given scientists an atomic-level insight into the behaviour of Bcl-2, a protein that promotes cancerous cell growth.
Understanding the growth of disease-causing protein fibres
Using the unique contrast method offered by neutron scattering, researchers have been able to measure the rate of growth of amyloid fibrils in solution.
Designing an antibiotic that looks like a virus
An international research team have used the Inter beamline to study whether adding virus-like spikes to the outside of a silica nanoparticle makes it more effective at interacting with biological membranes and delivering antimicrobial drugs.
Learning from meteorites to improve bone replacements
The first full and accurate characterisation of the mineral whitlockite has been carried out using neutron diffraction at ISIS, X-ray diffraction, electron microprobe analysis, and infrared spectroscopy.
Neutron science helps tackle antibiotic resistance
Two different studies conducted using small angle neutron scattering reveal novel methods to kill bacteria.
Controlling cell membranes with the flick of a light switch
Inserting a light-sensitive molecule into cell membranes could allow us to take control of cells.
Studying the clinical markers for blocked arteries
Neutrons reveal water clusters, which could explain the behaviour of amorphous pharmaceuticals
Reflectivity studies the interactions between nanogels and skin models
Studying how water behaves when proteins are present
Neutron experiments studying the motions of water and protein molecules give an insight into their behaviour in biological systems.
Intracellular water could help us distinguish between healthy and malignant cells
Little is known about the transition of a cell from normal to cancerous. Neutron scattering on OSIRIS is helping to provide answers by studying the properties of water inside the cells.
Clay minerals used as drug carriers
By studying water mobility in clay minerals, an international research group have gained an insight into the effectiveness and lifetime of these clays as drug carriers.
Larmor tests the stability of bacteria that sense magnetic fields
An international research group has used Larmor to study a special strain of bacteria that senses and aligns to the Earth’s magnetic field.
Hierarchical biomechanics: dictating hydrogel network properties from a single folded protein building block
Researchers from the University of Leeds have designed a protein hydrogel that can translate the properties of the individual protein-ligand interaction to that of the whole protein network.
A tale of two tails
The mechanism behind the exchange of double-ended polymers that form flower-like structures has been determined for the first time using time-resolved small angle neutron scattering on SANS2D.
3D printed tissue-like vascular structures investigated on Larmor
An international team of scientists have discovered a new material that can be 3D printed to create tissue-like vascular structures.
Peptide disks keep membrane proteins pointing in the right direction
By using peptide discs loaded with proteins, a group of researchers have been able to build a lipid bilayer that facilitates the study of membrane proteins using a range of techniques, including neutron reflectometry.
Kew measures spores on IRIS to understand seed storage
After an encounter at a conference, researchers from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, visited the IRIS instrument to trial a technique that could help them determine how long they can store seeds for.
#10YearsOn - Luke Clifton
To celebrate the start of the new decade, Luke Clifton reflects on the progress made in his research field since we published his science highlight in 2010.
Secrets of Peptide Assembly unzipped at ISIS
Neutron scattering probes the intricacies of drug delivery
Bacterial outer membranes and the potential for new antibiotics
Textbook skin cream structure is wrong
Neutrons at ISIS reveal that the microstructure of skin creams is more complex than previously thought.
Cereal research takes roots on IMAT
Neutrons have been used to map the root structure of wheat plants in life-like soil conditions for the first time, and the researchers have returned to study rice, with the help of a new research greenhouse on the IMAT beamline.
Understanding intracellular water dynamics of bacteria under high pressures
Scientists have investigated the behaviour of water inside Shewanella oneidensis cells at a biomolecular level under very high hydrostatic pressures
Surfactants: explainer
Surface-active agents, surfactants, are crucial to many industries including healthcare, cleaning and petrochemicals. Here we explain what they are and how research at the ISIS Neutron and Muon source plays a vital part in developing their applications.
Neutrons investigate novel nanoparticle used in cell therapy imaging
An international team of scientists have used neutrons to investigate a novel nanoparticle that can provide real-time imaging of cell therapies to be used in the treatment of melanoma.
Tackling antibiotic resistance using cubosomes
Scientists from Sweden and Denmark are using neutrons to study a unique drug-delivery system and its effect on bacteria to tackle the antibiotic resistance crisis.
How a pigment might hold the key to cybernetic implants in humans
A team of scientists at ISIS are studying how a humble pigment present in humans and most living things, melanin, could be the key to implanting and integrating electronic devices into the human body.
Rethinking lipid transfer in bacteria
Research carried out at ISIS has played a key part in a large research study that challenges the thinking about how bacteria maintain the structure of their outer membrane.
Polar bears inspire paint that's all white for the environment
Scientists working at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source are studying polar bear fur to see what it can reveal about a mechanism found in nature called structural colouration, which is able to create colour without using pigments.
Secrets of Peptide Assembly unzipped at ISIS
Researchers from China, Manchester and ISIS have used neutrons to gain new insights into peptide self-assembly and the ‘polar zipper’ mechanism, which could improve the development of future peptide-based materials.
A neutron reflectivity study of NIPAM nanogels
A step towards developing novel nanoparticles for dermal drug delivery
From paleontology to plant roots: IMAT proves effective for life science research
Scientists at ISIS are expanding life science research on IMAT, and have proved its capabilities in this field unveiling the internal structure of teeth, studying fossils and exploring the dynamics of water in soil-plant systems.
Neutrons probe chemical and enzymatic organic removal methods
The study of bone tissue by vibrational spectroscopy may have a high impact in several areas from bioarcheology to regenerative medicine; Adriana Mamede and a team of researchers have been analysing human bone aiming at the development of biomaterials
Correlating the physico-chemical properties of the bacterial outer membrane to its susceptibility to last resort antibiotic
Scientists from Newcastle University and ISIS Neutron and Muon have used neutron reflectometry at STFC’s ISIS facility to reveal how Polymyxin B (PmB) penetrates the tough outer membrane (OM) of Gram-negative bacteria.
Stuck on you – SURF reflectometer reveals adsorption qualities of a novel class of bio-therapeutics
A collaboration of scientists from the University of Manchester and MedImmune LLC have used neutron reflection at ISIS to investigate the interfacial adsorption of a monoclonal antibody at the solid/water interface.
Tackling Cancer at the Nanoscale An investigation into cyclic peptide-polymer anti-cancer drug delivery systems
Neutron scattering at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source has provided unique insights into a novel anti-cancer therapy; using cyclic peptide-polymer nanotubes as functional drug carrier systems.
Probing peptide-polymer nanotubes with neutrons
Scientists are using small angle neutron scattering to investigate the dynamics of self-assembling cyclic peptide-polymer nanotubes.
LOQ instrument aids in structural characterisation of key bacterial protein
Small-angle neutron scattering allowed scientists to probe the conformation of KorB, an intrinsically-disordered protein required for DNA partitioning and transcriptional repression in bacteria, in the presence of both DNA and the partner protein KorA.
Research on improving antibiotic carried out at ISIS
Intracellular water – an overlooked cancer drug target?
Scientists have identified a potential new target for the development of anticancer drugs against metastatic breast cancer.
Water: the liquid of life
Neutrons, such as those produced at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, are an ideal tool for investigating water because of how clearly they can see hydrogen atoms.
How to deliver drugs across the picky blood-brain barrier
Less than 2% of small molecules, including therapeutics, are able to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and reach the brain from the bloodstream.
Scientists gather to discuss the future of tackling infectious diseases
World-leading neutron scientists gathered last week to discuss the latest findings in the development of drugs to tackle infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance.
Neutrons could reveal how pesticides protect crops
Scientists have created a model of a leaf’s waxy surface, similar to those found in wheat crops, in a project supported by the agrochemical company, Syngenta.
Solving the structure of fundamental bacterial protein
Scientists have discovered the much debated structure of a fundamental bacterial protein, through a combination of neutron and x-ray studies, and computational modelling.
Frozen frog gives clues to improving freeze storage techniques
In neutron diffraction studies on the SANDALS instrument at ISIS, the team re-created freezing conditions to see how glycerol affects the structure of water, at the molecular level.
Anthrax toxin: a new tool in the fight against cancer?
For the first time, scientists have disarmed the anthrax toxin and converted it into a positive tool for delivering drugs for a specific form of gene therapy, an experimental technique that treats disease by replacing or inactivating faulty genes.
Developing new forensic techniques with the help of neutrons
New forensic techniques to help with the positive identification of unknown victims based on their burned skeletal remains are being developed by bone experts working beside neutron scientists.
Neutrons help in the fight against antibiotic resistance
Researchers at ISIS Neutron and Muon Source in collaboration with Newcastle University have created the first model of the outer membrane of the bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli).
ISIS and exploding bubbles in the fight against cancer
ISIS is playing an increasingly important role in cancer research.
Powerful new tool gives hope of overcoming antibiotic resistance.
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics has become one of the biggest health concerns of the 21st century. New work into disabling rather than destroying bacteria may help mankind win the on-going battle against bacterial disease and antibiotic resistance.
Tracking the movements of the killer behind dementia and heart disease
Cholesterol is vital to the human body. It is an essential component in the membranes of cells as well as necessary for the production of important hormones and the transport of chemical signals.
Can you recognise nucleic acids? No, but nucleolipid-dendrimer complexes can!
Genetic disorders can be caused by mutations within the individual’s genetic code, resulting in the formation of non-functioning proteins. Normal cellular processes are therefore inhibited.
A spoon full of sugar helps the medicine go down.
Studies at ISIS have revealed that packaging platinum and palladium based anti-cancer drugs in a sugary coating protects them from being captured by natural antioxidants in the body.
Going to the extreme
For most of us, temperatures around the mid-twenties and a light breeze, sounds like the ideal environment - anything over or under this happy medium and we start to feel a little under pressure.
Structure of nanoparticle supplements ‘ironed out’ to improve therapies
We might not be coated in an iron exoskeleton, but much like the fictional character Iron Man, this element plays a vital role in powering our bodies.
An antibody with a twist
In recent years a swarm of new antibody-based drugs have hit the market, offering treatment for cancer, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases.
A fine blue Line - Just how reliable are home pregnancy tests?
The earliest home pregnancy test can be traced back as far as ancient Egypt where women tested their urine on wheat and barley seeds.
Why do nanogels need to cross the skin? To get the drugs to the other side.
We’ve all heard of nicotine patches that deliver specific doses of the drug painlessly and continuously through the skin.
New oral delivery system for vaccines could help to combat infectious diseases.
Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD) or Gumboro’s disease is caused by the highly contagious Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) and is widespread in commercial chicken flocks.
New nanostructure shows promise for future service in the war on breast cancer
One in eight women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime, making it the most common cancer in the UK. If caught early, treatment options are positive.
The role of water in protein folding
Proteins are large macromolecules that are required by almost all living organisms in order to function. Every protein is composed of a long chain of amino acids which fold into a particular shape that allows the protein to do its work.
Mastering Membrane Mimicking to Outsmart Bacteria
We’ve all heard of E.coli, but you might be surprised to realise that our digestive system is home to a load of it.
Passing the Electron Baton.
Scientists have used to neutrons to discover how an enzyme involved in drug metabolism, Cytochrome P450 Reductase (CPR), performs like a runner in a relay race.
ISIS is helping to close the gap in the race to develop novel antibiotics.
Penicillin is stacked high in pharmacies and hospitals across the globe and proven in combat against bronchitis, pneumonia and pharyngitis.
Neutrons could help us to breathe more easily
Coughing, wheezing and tightening of the chest. Asthma sufferers can relate, particularly in cities during the summer time when asthma symptoms are exacerbated. One of the causes? Ozone.
Drug delivery stays on target
Imagine. You are a tiny, injectable ball. Within your core you carry a drug designed to treat a specific diseased tissue.
Watering the plants - neutron insights into cellulose
People with a self-confessed sweet tooth add sugar to their tea or coffee, and when stirred, the sugar dissolves. But cellulose, a plant sugar that is found in the primary cell wall of green plants, does not readily dissolve in water.
Think twice before squishing that spider!
...because spiders are more than just ‘eight-legged freaks’ that haunt the dark corners of your garden shed.
Seeing into Bacteria
Neutron radiation can reveal the structure of cell membranes
Tough Bioglass could banish bone replacements
New research from the ISIS Neutron and Muon source is being used to extend the potential range of uses for bioglasses without compromising their ability to stimulate new bone growth.
Why staying warm in winter is a bit more complicated if you’re a lizard
Recent studies at the ISIS neutron source, the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s (STFC) world leading research centre, have given a new insight into the mysterious ‘anti-freeze’ capabilities of glycerol – a property successfully used in nature.
Ecoli packs a punch
Neutron scattering experiments have given a new insight into how E. coli bacteria, often associated with food poisoning, kill each other in the evolutionary competition for food and space.
Protein motion in red blood cells
Neutron scattering experiments help to reveal the motion of haemoglobin in red blood cells, enabling scientists to gain a better understanding of protein dynamics at the molecular level.
How does the antibiotic amphotericin work?
Scientists at ISIS use neutron reflectivity and small-angle neutron scattering to uncover more about the mysterious drug amphotericin.
The unusual behaviour of a plant seed defence protein
Using a combination of techniques, the unique structure of an important plant defense protein is discovered, which could have implications in drug delivery systems and antibiotics.
Unravelling elastin, nature’s ‘nanospring’
Using neutron experiments and other state-of-the-art techniques, scientists have revealed the shape of the protein that gives human tissues their elastic properties. This discovery might lead to the development of new synthetic ‘elastin-like’ materials.
Changes in proton zero-point energy responsible for DNA phase change
A recent experiment using Vesuvio spectrometer, by scientists from the University of Houston, the University of Rome and ISIS, has shown that the zero-point energy change in protons is significant for the transformation of A phase to B phase DNA.
Solution structure of proteasome activators
In biological cells, the so-called ‘20S proteasome’ is responsible for breaking down damaged or unneeded proteins so they can be recycled into new ones.
Exploring membrane activity of plant seed defence proteins
Plants are constantly exposed to pathogens and, in response, have developed multiple defence mechanisms that include the expression of antimicrobial proteins.
Breakthrough in aromatic molecule research
New experimental data by from the ISIS neutron source on how ring-shaped molecules pack together in liquids could lead to more efficient drug design.
Breakthrough for babies born with severe cleft palates after experiments at ISIS
Scientists working on a treatment for babies born with cleft palates have made a promising breakthrough and the first clinical trials are planned for early next year.
Dynamics of nanoparticles for drug delivery
Nano- and micro-particles that are composed of saccharide (sugar-like) and lipid (molecules such as fats and oils) components can be produced for potential applications as highly-biocompatible drug carriers.
Spinning a story: silk at the molecular level
Spiders and insects have achieved what many industries and labs yearn to accomplish: the controlled assembly in water of large proteins into high performance fibres, all at ambient temperature and pressure.
Water diffusion in drug delivery microgels
Polymeric microgels consist of nanometer-sized spheres. The spaces inside the spheres can be filled with a pharmacologically-active material – a drug – suspended in water. Such microgels are biocompatible, and so they have promising applications as injec
Designing drug nanodispersions
Oil-in-water microemulsions are spontaneously formed, nanosized dispersions of oil in water stabilised by surfactant.
Dynamics of lipid-saccharide nanovectors for drug delivery
Nano- and microparticles composed of saccharide and lipid systems are extensively investigated for applications as highly biocompatible drug carriers.
Cut and paste enzymes
ISIS is helping in developments towards a new tool for molecular biology.
Protein sensing arrays
Improving protein arrays for medical diagnostics
Water around proteins: the ultrafast motion of protons
Investigating the link between proton tunneling and biological function
Interfacial behaviour of the naturally occurring surfactant surfactin
Understanding the biological function of surfactin
Nanoreactors formed from self-assembled protein cages
Developing new biological materials
Polarised neutrons to study protein/lipid nanostructures
Studying protein/lipid nanostructures
The structure of amino acids in solution
Self-organisation of proteins in solution and their aqueous environment.
Case study: Understanding infant lung structure
Scientists at the UK’s ISIS neutron source are contributing to research that could help save the lives of premature babies.
Case study: Bioactive glass for bone growth
ISIS helps medical researchers develop a glass that could replace bone transplants.