(Link will go live on 05/06/2021)

The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is the global, open access data resource central to fundamental biology, biomedicine, bioenergy, and biotechnology/bioengineering. Now celebrating its 50th year, PDB houses ~180,000 3D structures of biological macromolecules. The intimate link between molecular form and function is evident throughout biology, making PDB structures vital to industry and academe. PDB data are used widely for biomedical research to validate drug targets, assess druggability, characterize small molecule binding, and more. Structural biologists and the PDB have made major contributions in the fight against Sickle cell disease (SCD), which is caused by a change in the structure of hemoglobin. Open access to PDB structures enabled understanding of the sickle cell disease at the atomic level, guided discovery of a small-molecule drug approved by the US FDA for treating SCD, and are driving application of CRISPR technologies as potential cures. Stephen Burley, M.D., D.Phil. is an expert in structural biology, bioinformatics, drug discovery, and clinical medicine, and Director of the RCSB Protein Data Bank. PDB is currently celebrating 50 years of open access to biomacromolecular structure data.