Crystallography matters ... more!

To accompany the exhibition Illuminating Atoms, the Royal Albert Hall has teamed up with the Science & Technology Facilities Council to present a very special Q&A with Professor Elspeth Garman.

Professor Garman will describe how X-ray Crystallography is used to determine molecular structures, helping us to understand diseases and develop drugs to control them. Beginning with the methods pioneered over a century ago by father and son William and Lawrence Bragg, Elspeth will discuss how their legacy lives on at the forefront of modern drug discovery. Thanks to their contributions, the 3-dimensional shapes of complex  biological molecules can be found, helping us to understand and counter many diseases and viruses affecting people all over the globe.

Elspeth Garman is Professor of Molecular Biophysics and Director of the University of Oxford's Doctoral Training Centre Systems Biology Programme. As well as determining several key protein structures (e.g. from TB and bird flu), her group works to improve X-ray diffraction experiments on protein crystals. As an expert on the effects of cryocooling and radiation damage on delicate crystals, Elspeth has appeared on BBC Radio and at the Cheltenham Science Festival.

Tickets include a glass of wine on arrival and access to the exhibition before the event from 6pm.