SASKATOON – The synchrotron in Saskatoon will receive a major upgrade thanks to a $3.3-million investment announced by the Government of Canada. Funding will pay for upgrades to a beamline at the Canadian Light Source (CLS).
The beamline produces high-intensity X-rays that are used to determine the 3D structures of proteins. Knowing the shapes of proteins allows researchers to develop new drugs and therapies.
Upgrades will allow scientists to take brighter and more focused X-rays faster.
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The CLS project is among $333 million in Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) infrastructure investments announced by the federal government Friday.
“This major CFI investment will support cutting-edge academic and industrial research across Canada, enabling scientists to explore emerging frontiers in cell biology at the atomic level and discover new drugs to fight chronic and infectious diseases,” said Karen Chad, vice-president of research at the University of Saskatchewan.
The CFI investment represents a large portion of an $8.6-million upgrade to the Canadian macromolecular crystallography facility.
The balance is to be contributed by federal and provincial government partners, as well as the university and in-kind contributions from suppliers.
Since starting up in 2005, CLS has hosted over 2,500 researchers, delivered over 40,000 experimental shifts and provided a scientific service critical in over 1,500 publications.
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