February 2025 Newsletter
February 28, 2025
FEBRUARY 2025 NEWSLETTER
News you can use
GPCRdb in 2025: adding odorant receptors, data mapper, structure similarity search and models of physiological ligand complexes.
GPCRdb, a key resource for GPCR research, provides reference data, analysis, visualization, experiment design, and dissemination tools. In its sixth major release, GPCRdb now includes all ∼400 human odorant receptors and their orthologs in major model organisms. A new Data Mapper enables users to overlay data onto GPCRs visualized as a wheel, tree, clusters, list, or heatmap. Structure models have been expanded with physiological ligand complexes and updated with state-specific models for all human GPCRs using AlphaFold, RoseTTAFold, and AlphaFold-Multistate. A Structure Similarity Search (via FoldSeek) allows pdb file comparisons across the GPCRdb collection. For ligands, new search tools support queries by name, ID, similarity, or substructure across multiple databases (ChEMBL, Guide to Pharmacology, PDSP Ki, PubChem, DrugCentral, DrugBank).
Employee spotlight
Jennifer Arruda - Scientist II
Jennifer Arruda is a skilled scientist at Helix BioStructures, specializing in protein production. After years in customer service, she pursued a second career in research, balancing work and education to build expertise in protein expression, purification, and assay development. With 17 years across academia, agriculture, and pharma, her hands-on skills and attention to detail make her an invaluable part of the team.
Outside the lab, Jennifer is a passionate yarn enthusiast who loves knitting scarves and spending time with her cats—crafting both science and coziness in equal measure!
Featured services
Protein Crystallography - Helix is the leading protein crystallography services company in the United States. With over 60 commercial screens and speciallized robotic liquid handling, Helix is able to produce crystal structures at high quality and with industrial efficiency for all our customers. Additionally, Helix has scheduled synchrotron time every week, allowing crystals to be collected shortly after they have grown. Armed with over 10 gene-to-structure scientists and liceneses to both CCP4 and Phenix, we are your one stop shop for all your crystallography needs. Contact us today to learn more!
Helix is hiring!!
Head of Structural Biology: We are looking to add an experienced Structural Biology Leader to our Indianapolis-based team. This role will manage and support the Helix team, planning & tracking all projects to produce high-quality work and support our client’s protein production, biophysical characterization, and structural biology projects.
Senior Scientist - Gene-to-Structure: We are looking to add an experienced senior scientist to join our Indianapolis-based team. This senior-level scientist will support our protein production and structural biology pipelines by producing proteins and setting up crystallization and/or cryo-EM experiments, interfacing with our clients, and writing technical project reports.
HELIX HIGHLIGHTS
Helix Biostructures 1st Happy Hour in 2025!
Every month, the Helix team has a Happy Hour. The team gets together, has some snacks and drinks, talks and laughs, having so much fun and building a great culture.
The team is dedicated to providing the best quality work and services to our customers, having a good time at work, enjoying each other, and maximizing teamwork. :-)
Contact us today if you'd like to know more about us and what we are doing.
Instrument review
ÄKTA pure is a flexible and intuitive chromatography system for fast purification of proteins, peptides, and nucleic acids from microgram levels to tens of grams of target product. ÄKTA pure chromatography system is a reliable system where hardware and UNICORN software are designed to work together with columns and chromatography resins to meet purification challenges. Helix BioStructures is equipped with ÄKTA go and ÄKTA pure systems, provides customers with target purification services, and supports their crystallography and cryo-EM project needs. Contact us today to discuss how we can help you with your purification projects.
Conferences & more
Helix Protein Art
