The 8th of May 2012 BOREAS beamline hosted the first official experiment at the ALBA Synchrotron. The other Phase I beamlines started official experiments in the following months. We have organised a roundtable, inviting also a representation of the first user group, to remember that special day of ten years ago.
Our colleague from the Accelerators division, Pep Campmany, received the Recercat 2022 Prize by the Institut Ramon Muntaner last 7th of May.
A team from the Margarita Salas Biological Research Center (CIB Margarita Salas-CSIC) has verified the efficacy of drugs, already used clinically, in virus infections such as SARS-CoV2, among others. The results demonstrate how these drugs, called MTAs, inhibit viral infection. They target microtubules, structures inside cells used by viruses for replication. The team used the ALBA Synchrotron to see how these drugs bind to the protein that forms the microtubules, obtaining a three-dimensional image of this drug-protein union. By adhering to it, the drug blocks the protein, preventing the formation of the microtubule and, therefore, the replication of the virus.
The 10th ALBA beamline is fully operational and hosted last week its first experiment from experts users. Researchers from the ICMAB-CSIC, involved in the CSIC PTI-Transener+, were studying different types of materials for batteries. NOTOS is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
A team from Max Planck Institute has developed control of oxygen defects and magnetic properties in SrCoOx thin films via ionic liquid gating. XAS & XMCD spectroscopy at BOREAS beamline of the ALBA Synchrotron was used to characterise the resulting properties.
