Elucidating signal transduction processes in biology is fundamental, if we want to understand the mechanisms of life and engineer novel photoreceptors with custom-tailored light-regulated function. However, the study of protein dynamics-watching proteins work in various time scales (from the femtosecond to the steady state) – is very challenging.

In the past decades, time-resolved spectroscopy has revolutionized the understanding of protein function by probing excited states and revealing the kinetic profile of light-triggered intermediates. On the other hand, time-resolved X-ray techniques have generated atomic resolution models of structural intermediates and revealed conformational dynamics by providing snapshots of the dynamic processes in light-sensitive biomolecules. None of these experimental techniques is able to unravel dynamic processes in biomolecules by itself, whereas quantum mechanical and classical dynamics numerical calculations are needed to complement the experimental results.

This EMBO Workshop aims to bring together workers from the fields of time-resolved spectroscopy and time-resolved X-ray techniques as well as theoreticians in order to present their recent works and discuss the synergy of the experimental techniques to advance our understanding of light-induced biological dynamics processes and foster new collaborations between the different fields. To this goal, this EMBO Workshop will also highlight the cutting-edge instrumentation that facilitates game-changing advances in biological dynamical processes.

Registration