Periodic Reporting for period 2 - MOSBRI (MOlecular-Scale Biophysics Research Infrastructure)
Reporting period: 2023-01-01 to 2024-06-30
Molecular-scale biophysics aims at studying biological systems at an intermediate level between atomic-resolution structural descriptions and cellular-scale observations. It addresses essential questions on how active biomolecular assemblies form and function. These include insights into their architecture, folding, stability and dynamics, as well as into the energy and kinetics of their interactions, both at ensemble and single-event levels. It is a strongly interdisciplinary field involving physicists, biologists, chemists, as well as medical, bioinformatics and materials scientists. The MOlecular-Scale Biophysics Research Infrastructure (MOSBRI) addresses the pressing need for a truly integrated and multi-methodological taskforce in the field, combining the best up-to-date instrumentation and the best expertise available in Europe, to the benefit of all researchers in the fields of biomedicine, biotechnology, biomaterials and beyond, from both academia and industry (notably SMEs). The consortium of 2 companies and 13 academic centres of excellence from 11 countries gathers a wide complementary panel of cutting-edge instrumentation and expertise, leveraging barriers that currently hinder the optimal exploitation of molecular-scale biophysical approaches.
MOSBRI provides academic and industrial researchers with a one-stop shop Trans-National Access to the latest technological developments in advanced spectroscopies, hydrodynamics, thermodynamics, real-time kinetics, and single molecule approaches.
The consortium is playing a major role in standardisation and policymaking in the field by carrying out Joint Research Activities to develop innovative methodologies, designing robust quality control guidelines and FAIR-compatible archiving formats and databases and engaging with instrumentation, pharma, biotech and CRO SMEs.
MOSBRI shares and disseminates theoretical and practical knowledge through conferences and training events in Europe, contributing to the emergence of a highly qualified new generation of scientists and reaching out to scientific communities currently unaware of the full potential of the integrated use of molecular-scale biophysics tools. Moreover, MOSBRI is complementary to other research infrastructures, thus helping to create a strong cross-fertilizing ecosystem with leveraging effects for European science. MOSBRI represents a unique opportunity for Europe to remain at the forefront in the field of molecular biophysics, thereby contributing significantly to the acceleration of discoveries beneficial for OneHealth.
MOSBRI provides academic and industrial researchers with a one-stop shop Trans-National Access to the latest technological developments in advanced spectroscopies, hydrodynamics, thermodynamics, real-time kinetics, and single molecule approaches.
The consortium is playing a major role in standardisation and policymaking in the field by carrying out Joint Research Activities to develop innovative methodologies, designing robust quality control guidelines and FAIR-compatible archiving formats and databases and engaging with instrumentation, pharma, biotech and CRO SMEs.
MOSBRI shares and disseminates theoretical and practical knowledge through conferences and training events in Europe, contributing to the emergence of a highly qualified new generation of scientists and reaching out to scientific communities currently unaware of the full potential of the integrated use of molecular-scale biophysics tools. Moreover, MOSBRI is complementary to other research infrastructures, thus helping to create a strong cross-fertilizing ecosystem with leveraging effects for European science. MOSBRI represents a unique opportunity for Europe to remain at the forefront in the field of molecular biophysics, thereby contributing significantly to the acceleration of discoveries beneficial for OneHealth.
Since July 2021, MOSBRI has submitted 26 deliverables and achieved 18 milestones, attesting its highly successful TNA scheme and its large variety of joint research (JRA) and networking (NA) activities.
• TNA: MOSBRI has put in place a dedicated TNA proposal submission system, involving a large panel of 69 external reviewers. 186 project proposals were submitted during the first 36 months, with 158 finally accepted after iterative interaction with the proposers. Of these, 144 have had access to the MOSBRI TNA sites.
28 peer-reviewed publications have been produced. Applications from industry in the fields of Bio-pharmacy and food quality/stability have been received in response to our campaign MOSBRI4U launched on the MOSBRI website.
• JRA: We have widely assessed the needs for potential improvements in existing biophysical technologies to address novel applications. Furthermore, MOSBRI partners have evaluated several new technologies, one of them (mass photometry) has been introduced in 5 MOSBRI TNA sites.
MOSBRI has been developing a two-level certification scheme (Operator and Analyst) for several biophysical methods, with an aim to train and accredit scientists (notably TNA users) wishing to become recognized autonomous operators/analysts of these technologies. Furthermore, a standard protein system has been developed and is currently available in our catalogue of products to be used to assess instrument performance and consistency among the MOSBRI consortium and beyond.
Finally, MOSBRI has identified and selected a group of techniques for which there is the highest need to establish data/metadata format standards and a repository based on FAIR principles. A Molecular Biophysics Database (MBDB) is currently being put in place.
• NA: MOSBRI has organized 10 training schools and 3 international conferences, attracting a total of 875 participants from all over Europe and beyond. The culture of cooperation and continuous quality improvement has been further boosted by staff exchange visits among partners. 4 consensus meetings on different topics have led to 3 benchmarking actions that will aim at improving best practices at the level of sample preparation, instrument operation and data analysis.
MOSBRI has gained visibility among a variety of stakeholders, notably the European and international biophysics societies and associations. MOSBRI has co-organised a session with the Association of Resources for Biophysical Research in Europe (ARBRE) during the EBSA 2023 congress, the XXVIII School in Pure and Applied Physics with SIBPA (Italian Biophysical Society) and launched a joint international TNA call with two research infrastructures (Instruct-ERIC and iNEXT). Moreover, MOSBRI established relations with the Society of African Biophysical Societies (SABS). Philip Amuyunzu Mang’are, president of SABS was an invited speaker at the MOSBRI 2024 Conference in Ljubljana.
Partnerships with industry have been pro-actively developed: 2 companies are involved in the MOSBRI consortium, 3 others are represented in its Scientific Advisory Board and a further 8 have benefited from TNA access. 53 companies have participated in MOSBRI events as sponsors, delegates or invited speakers.
The main means of communication established by MOSBRI have been the project website (www.mosbri.eu) that has been very efficient both for internal and external communication, newsletters (8 published during these 36 months) and flyers in four languages, as well as social media accounts at LinkedIn and X (more than 680 posts).
• TNA: MOSBRI has put in place a dedicated TNA proposal submission system, involving a large panel of 69 external reviewers. 186 project proposals were submitted during the first 36 months, with 158 finally accepted after iterative interaction with the proposers. Of these, 144 have had access to the MOSBRI TNA sites.
28 peer-reviewed publications have been produced. Applications from industry in the fields of Bio-pharmacy and food quality/stability have been received in response to our campaign MOSBRI4U launched on the MOSBRI website.
• JRA: We have widely assessed the needs for potential improvements in existing biophysical technologies to address novel applications. Furthermore, MOSBRI partners have evaluated several new technologies, one of them (mass photometry) has been introduced in 5 MOSBRI TNA sites.
MOSBRI has been developing a two-level certification scheme (Operator and Analyst) for several biophysical methods, with an aim to train and accredit scientists (notably TNA users) wishing to become recognized autonomous operators/analysts of these technologies. Furthermore, a standard protein system has been developed and is currently available in our catalogue of products to be used to assess instrument performance and consistency among the MOSBRI consortium and beyond.
Finally, MOSBRI has identified and selected a group of techniques for which there is the highest need to establish data/metadata format standards and a repository based on FAIR principles. A Molecular Biophysics Database (MBDB) is currently being put in place.
• NA: MOSBRI has organized 10 training schools and 3 international conferences, attracting a total of 875 participants from all over Europe and beyond. The culture of cooperation and continuous quality improvement has been further boosted by staff exchange visits among partners. 4 consensus meetings on different topics have led to 3 benchmarking actions that will aim at improving best practices at the level of sample preparation, instrument operation and data analysis.
MOSBRI has gained visibility among a variety of stakeholders, notably the European and international biophysics societies and associations. MOSBRI has co-organised a session with the Association of Resources for Biophysical Research in Europe (ARBRE) during the EBSA 2023 congress, the XXVIII School in Pure and Applied Physics with SIBPA (Italian Biophysical Society) and launched a joint international TNA call with two research infrastructures (Instruct-ERIC and iNEXT). Moreover, MOSBRI established relations with the Society of African Biophysical Societies (SABS). Philip Amuyunzu Mang’are, president of SABS was an invited speaker at the MOSBRI 2024 Conference in Ljubljana.
Partnerships with industry have been pro-actively developed: 2 companies are involved in the MOSBRI consortium, 3 others are represented in its Scientific Advisory Board and a further 8 have benefited from TNA access. 53 companies have participated in MOSBRI events as sponsors, delegates or invited speakers.
The main means of communication established by MOSBRI have been the project website (www.mosbri.eu) that has been very efficient both for internal and external communication, newsletters (8 published during these 36 months) and flyers in four languages, as well as social media accounts at LinkedIn and X (more than 680 posts).
MOSBRI has clearly shown that there was, in Europe and worldwide, an unmet need for a well-identified integrated access to molecular-scale biophysical methodologies and expertise. This has been highlighted by the submission of close to 170 proposals during the first 36 months of the project. A distinctive feature of the MOSBRI TNA scheme, which to the best of our knowledge is unique in the research infrastructure ecosystem, is its “maturation” modality. It enables scientists with poor prior awareness of the capacities of molecular-scale biophysics methods to submit their questions without any inhibitions; these are maturated together with an internal moderator panel until they result in a full proposal.
Other notable MOSBRI innovations are its “driving license” skill accreditation system and its FAIR database project, both of which will highly benefit the new generation of scientists and the research community at large. Finally, the strong emphasis put in standardization, quality control and best practices in data production, analysis and storage will warrant an optimal robustness and reliability of the results provided by molecular-scale biophysics technologies. This will ensure their strong impact in the fields of biomedicine, biotechnology, biomaterials and beyond, both in academia and industry (notably SMEs).
Other notable MOSBRI innovations are its “driving license” skill accreditation system and its FAIR database project, both of which will highly benefit the new generation of scientists and the research community at large. Finally, the strong emphasis put in standardization, quality control and best practices in data production, analysis and storage will warrant an optimal robustness and reliability of the results provided by molecular-scale biophysics technologies. This will ensure their strong impact in the fields of biomedicine, biotechnology, biomaterials and beyond, both in academia and industry (notably SMEs).