Message from RCSB PDB

The PDB was announced on October 20, 1971 in Crystallography: Protein Data Bank Nature New Biology 233: 223 (1971) doi: 10.1038/newbio233223b0.

Fifty years later, the PDB archive contains ~180,000 structures of proteins, nucleic acids, and complex assemblies that helps students and researchers understand all aspects of biomedicine and agriculture, from protein synthesis to health and disease. It is managed by the Worldwide PDB (wwPDB) organization that ensures that the PDB is freely and publicly available to the global community.

Throughout 2021, the wwPDB is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the PDB archive. Visit wwpdb.org/pdb50 for information about upcoming events, including:

• October 6: Biophysical Society Celebrates 50 Years of the Protein Data Bank (virtual, free)
• October 20-22: Bringing Molecular Structure to Life: 50 Years of the PDB (EMBL-sponsored virtual meeting)
• November 2: Celebrating Protein Data Bank Contributions from Rutgers University Structural Biologists  (virtual, free)
• November 16 and 18: Royal Society of Chemistry-sponsored Workshops 
• November 24: 50 Years of the PDB and the Frontier of Structural Biology in Asia: A satellite symposium of the Biophysical Society of Japan (Nov 25-27, 2021)

The 2021 ACA Transactions Symposium (July 30-31, 2021) was dedicated to celebrating the PDB50; a meeting report is included in this newsletter.

Visit RCSB.org/pdb50 for PDB50 celebration materials, including 

• Molecule of the Month: Fifty Years of Open Access to PDB Structures 
• Historical video looks at the milestones that shaped the PDB
• A timeline tracks highlights from the PDB and the structural biology community
• The PDB50 board game explores the process of structure discovery
• Structural Biology Playing Cards celebrate PDB and the structural biologists who have determined and deposited their many biomolecular structures
• Journal Collections
• Journal of Biological Chemistry: How the Protein Data Bank Changed Biology and The PDB in JBC
• Nature Collection: PDB 50th Anniversary: celebrating the future of structural biology in Nature Methods and Nature Structure & Molecular Biology.

During this 50^th anniversary year, consider supporting the PDB's spirit of openness, cooperation and education with a donation to the wwPDB Foundation.  The Foundation is chartered as a 501(c)(3) entity exclusively for scientific, literary, charitable, and educational purposes.

RCSB PDB is looking for information about the experiences and interests of our users. 

Please help us to serve you better by taking this survey.

Random responses will receive a copy of our Structural Biology Playing Cards that celebrate PDB50 (rcsb.org/pdb50). 

Thank you for your participation!