My field of specialization is three-dimensional structure determination of biological macromolecules by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in solution. The general theme proposed for this lecture will therefore be viewed with the eyes of a structural biologist who is engaged in the newly emerging area of structural genomics.

Post-genomic research projects formulate new demands for the techniques of macromolecular structure determination. There is a need for ever more efficient “high-throughput” techniques, and there are also entirely new aspects of data interpretation. These technical questions will be discussed in the context of their impact on biological and biomedical research.