Since 2014, PDB-101 has focused on different topics to help build a collection molecular stories around a particular theme. Past topics have included cancer, diabetes, and peak performance.
In 2026, PDB-101 will highlight the structural stories of Biotechnology: using biology in industry.
Many useful enzymes are robust enough to be purified and used in industrial processes. Since they act on biological molecules, these enzymes are widely used in food production. Atomic structures have revealed how these enzymes work, and how they can be improved for better function.
Visit the PDB-101 Biotechnology Browser for resources such as:
Cascade and CRISPRLiving organisms are under constant attack by viruses and have evolved an effective set of weapons to fight them. Bacteria and archaea take several approaches. They have several hardwired systems that fight the most common attackers. For instance, restriction enzymes stand ready to cut up the DNA of invading viruses. They also have a more adaptive system, akin to our own immune system, that can be tuned to protect against the viruses that are present at any given time. This system, termed CRISPR-Cas, stores information on current threats and provides the weapons to destroy them.