Sam Horrell

Post-Doctoral Research Associate

Sam is a structural biologist working on method development around structural biology at Diamond Light Source, in particular ways of better understanding how enzymes function through the production of structural movies. Sam is working through deposited structures related to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 with a view to providing the most accurate protein structures possible for future drug design efforts. Sam is a keen scientific communicator, having participated in a number of science slams and public lectures on the healing power of crystals (drug design through crystallography), and is now live streaming his work on corona virus structures on twitch.

Posts of Sam Horrell

I Hear SARS-CoV-2 Was Made in a Lab, What do you Think?

by

Dr. Sam Horrell

on

June 2, 2020

Introduction The short answer to this question is “almost certainly not”. However, we live in an unprecedented time; where people are both tired of experts while simultaneously believing that having read a meme on social media makes one an expert. So, what do I even mean by “almost certainly”? Between the politicians and the scientists […]

To Model, or Not to Model? That is the Question

by

Dr. Sam Horrell

on

June 19, 2020

Crystallography has a problem. Some amino acid side chains in our structures simply can’t be seen in our maps (Fig. 1). Crystallographic maps represent many protein molecules in a crystal lattice, thousands of copies of the same molecule averaged over measurement time and unit cells. So, what happens with inherently flexible regions of our protein? […]

The Disastrous Life of Nsp15 Endoribonuclease NendoU

by

Dr. Sam Horrell

on

July 27, 2020

Introduction Before I started writing this article, the first thing I did was to google the name of my protein “NendoU” and was greeted by Figure 1. Needless to say, this is not what I was expecting. So, if you’re an anime fan looking for Riki Nendou, a dutiful yet dull-witted boy who likes helping […]

Opinion: Press release about "Coronavirus Origin Study" by Prof. Wiesendanger and Hamburg University

by

Dr. Andrea Thorn

on

February 22, 2021

“The coronavirus has led to a worldwide crisis for over a year. In a new study, nanoscientist Prof. Dr. Roland Wiesendanger illuminates the origins of the virus. His findings conclude there are a number of quality sources indicating a laboratory accident at the Wuhan Institute of Virology as the cause of the current pandemic.” This […]

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