Figure 1. Data collected at APS macromolecular crystallography beamlines have been used to determine more protein structures than any other facility. As of January 20, 2026, APS users have deposited more than 33,000 structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB), representing 17.4% of all entries. The bar graph includes only facilities with more than 1000 PDB deposits. (Data were compiled from BioSync https://biosync.rcsb.org/.)

Life Sciences Council

The Life Sciences Council (LSC) is a subgroup of the APS Partner User Council (PUC) formed to represent the special interests of Collaborative Access Teams conducting research on biological systems. 

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) hosts a broad suite of state-of-the-art X-ray beamlines offering imaging, scattering, spectroscopy, and macromolecular crystallography (Figure 1) techniques that probe biological structure and function across multiple length and time scales. Operated by the X-ray Science Division (XSD) and several specialized Collaborative Access Teams (CATs), these beamlines serve thousands of users annually, advancing biomedical research, therapeutic development, and fundamental discovery. With the upgraded APS delivering unprecedented brightness, high-energy micro-focused beams, and advanced automation, APS life science beamlines are poised to drive the next generation of biological innovation in academia, industry, and government.