Water, hydration and biophysical properties
A Discussion Meeting
of the Royal Society of Chemistry Biotechnology Group
Park Plaza Hotel, Nottingham UK, Tuesday 14th September, 1pm-6pm
Organizers: Steve Harding and David Scott (NCMH, Nottingham)
Biochemical/ biophysical processes involving water (a very reactive molecule) include oxidation, reduction, condensation, hydrolysis, self-assembly and aggregation. It has been said that biochemistry is actually the chemistry of water. This short discussion meeting considers aspects of water and its relation to biological macromolecules, how it affects their properties and how its location, its structure and its dynamics can have a bearing on biophysical properties of small and large biological macromolecules and assemblies.
The meeting will consist of talks and discussion led by 6 experts in the field. It will be followed on 15-16th September by a conference on Analytical Ultracentrifugation.
The provisional schedule for the meeting is as follows:
| 1pm-1:30pm | Registration and Welcome |
| 1:30pm | Professor Steve Harding and Dr. David Scott (NCMH, Nottingham): Introduction |
| 1:45pm | Professor Felix Franks (Bioupdate Foundation, London) Water and Life: Friend or Foe? |
| 2:30pm | Professor Steve Perkins (University College, London) X-ray & Neutron Scattering |
| 3:15-3:45pm | Tea and Discussion |
| 3:45pm | Professor Martin Blackledge (IBS, Grenoble) NMR and Hydration Dynamics |
| 4:30pm | Dr. Helmut Durchschlag (University of Regensburg) Prediction of Individual Water Molecules and Water Channels by Modelling Approaches Based on Anhydrous 3D Models, Surface Calculations and Hydration Algorithms |
| 4:50pm | Professor Don Winzor (University of Queensland) Enthalpy-Entropy compensation and protein solvation |
| 5:10pm | Dr. Mattia Rocco (IST, Genoa) Statistical hydration in grid- and residue-based bead modelling |
| 5:30pm | General Discussion |
| 6:00pm | Meeting adjourned |
Registration fee: £50 (students and RSC members £25). Free registration for those signing up also to the Analytical Ultracentrifuge meeting.
Further details please contact: steve.harding@nottingham.ac.uk