PROTOTYPE AUTOMATED PROTEIN CRYSTALLIZATION MONITORING

The primary goal of this project is to build and test a prototype instrument for high throughput protein crystallography; it would automate the monitoring and storage of crystallization experiments form their initial "set up" (typically on a robot) through he final extraction for structure determination. We call this instrument a "Protein Crystallization Monitor Station" (or PCMS). It would store and monitor large number of crystallization experiment (in exchangeable cassettes of 180 microplates containint 17,280 individual experiments) at constant temperature and humidity. Crystallizations would be monitored by digital image capture; the digital image would be initially screened by machine vision software that would significantly reduce the number of images requiring human interpretation. The software associated with the PCMS would be integrated with the XtalGrow software developed in the Principal Investigator's laboratory. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: This project will develop an automated instrument that would facilitate protein crystallization for both high-throughput and conventional protein crystallization efforts.