AREA DETECTOR FOR PROTEIN CRYSTALLOGRAPHY

AREA DETECTOR SYSTEMS CORPORATION HAS ADAPTED THE MULTIWIRE COUNTER AREA DETECTOR TO PROTEIN CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC DATA COLLECTION. THESE DETECTORS HAVE DEMONSTRATED MANY TIMES THAT THEY CAN INCREASE THE SPEED AND EFFICIENCY AT X-RAY DATA COLLECTION FROM PROTEIN CRYSTALS BY A FACTOR OF 100 OR MORE COMPARED TO TRADITIONAL FILM OR SINGLE-CRYSTAL DIFFRACTION METHODS. THE RESULTING DATA ARE ALSO CONSISTENTLY MORE ACCURATE THAN DATA COLLECTED BY TRADITION-AL METHODS. JUDGING FROM THE LARGE NUMBER OF REQUESTS FOR TIME ON THIS LABORATORY DETECTOR SYSTEM, THERE IS A CLEAR AND INTENSE DEMAND FOR A COMMERCIAL VERSION OF THIS WELL- PROVEN DETECTOR TECHNOLOGY. THIS DEMAND IS EXPECTED TO GROWRAPIDLY IN THE COMING YEARS, AS PROTEIN CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC WORK HAS BECOME VERY IMPORTANT NOT ONLY FOR BASIC RESEARCH IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY BUT ALSO IN MANY BIOMEDICAL AREAS SUCH AS RATIONAL DRUG DESIGN AND PROTEIN ENGINEERING. THE PROPOSED WORK WILL CENTER ON MAKING THE PRESENT SUCCESSFUL DETECTOR DESIGN MORE COMMERCIALLY PRACTICAL BY SIMPLIFYING IT AND MAKING IT MORE DURABLE. IT WILL THUS BE EASIER TO TO BUILD IN PRODUCTION QUANTITIES AND SIMPLER TO OPERATE, SO IT CAN BE USED BY PEOPLE WHO DO NOT NEED TO UNDERSTAND ITS TECHNICAL DETAILS.