In the last few months, the first experiments on the MANACÁ beamline were carried out by external researchers dedicated to studying the molecular mechanisms related to the action of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Now, continuing the scientific commissioning phase of this beamline, researchers from other fields are invited to submit their proposals to use the MANACÁ beamline, dedicated to macromolecule crystallography, which allows the study of the three-dimensional structure of human proteins and enzymes and pathogens, with atomic resolution.

In response to the pandemic, the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), a private non-profit organization under the supervision of the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovations (MCTI), anticipated the opening of Sirius' first beamline to support research related to Covid-19. Researchers from the University of São Paulo (USP) were the first users of the largest and most complex scientific infrastructure in Brazil.

The new Brazilian synchrotron light source, Sirius, from the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory (LNLS) at the Brazilian Center for Research in Energy and Materials (CNPEM), carried out the first experiments on one of its beamlines this week. The first research station to start operating, still in the commissioning stage, can reveal details of the structure of biological molecules, such as viral proteins. These first experiments are part of an effort by CNPEM to provide a cutting-edge tool to the Brazilian scientific community working in SARS-CoV-2 research.