Robots
Mosquito
The Mosquito SPT LabTech robot is used for detecting protein crystallization conditions (screening) and for improving crystal quality prior (optimization) to X-ray data collection. It utilizes the sitting drop, hanging drop and microbatch-under-oil methods. It allows precise and reproducible dispensing of 100nL-1.2 μL volumes making use of disposable pipettes.
Lipidic Cubic Phase (LCP) Mosquito
The Mosquito LCP crystallization robot, is suitable for the conventional protein crystallization methods, as well as for the Lipidic Cubic Phase (LCP) technique, which is particularly useful for crystallizing membrane proteins. Crystallization in the highly viscous LCP takes advantage of a native-like membrane environment. Use of the LCP Mosquito permits accurate dispensing of volumes as low as 25nL, permitting screening of many crystallization conditions with very small amounts of protein (2.4 μL per 96-well plate).
Rock Imager
The Rock Imager from Formulatrix is a storage and automated imaging system for protein crystallization plates. This robust and easy-to-use robot captures superior quality images of up to 1000 crystallization plates from the Oryx6 or Mosquito robots, on a user-defined schedule, utilizing the CRIMS Image Viewing Interface developed at the HTXLab at the EMBL Grenoble. The SPU possesses two imaging robots, one maintained at 4ºC, and one at 19ºC.
Liquid-Metal-Jet (LMJ) X-ray Diffraction
The revolutionary Rigaku Liquid Metal Jet (LMJ) X-ray diffraction system, featuring an Excillum LMJ source (https://www.excillum.com/x-ray-methods/x-ray-scattering-and-diffraction/...) and a Rigaku HyPix Arc 150° pixel detector (https://rigaku.com/products/accessories/hypix-arc-150), produces an X-ray beam of unprecedented intensity for an in-house X-ray source. The LMJ system is capable of conventional data collection from a single protein crystal at cryogenic temperatures. Additionally, it offers a novel feature: in-situ diffraction data collection at room temperature (RT) from multiple microcrystals directly from crystallization plates.