W0309

Fast Drops: A Speedy Approach to Setting Up Protein Crystallization Trials. Armando Villaseñor¹, Ma Sha², Michelle Browner³. ^1,3Roche Bioscience, 3401 Hillview Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94304, ²Corning Inc. Life Sciences, 45 Nagog Prk, Acton, MA 01720.

Imagine if you could set up Hampton Screens I and II against four protein complexes in 1 hour without using a robot. That’s a total of 392 conditions in one hour! It is possible using the procedure and materials described in this poster. The procedure is simple, cost effective and minimized physical strain due to repetitive manipulations. This poster shows the details of the speedy manual procedure using a prototype plate described below.

If your needs demand faster crystallization set-ups, a high throughput (HT) solution is right around the corner. We have developed, in collaboration with Corning Life Sciences, a prototype 96 well crystallization plate that meets the stringent footprint standard for SBS (Society For Biomolecular Screening) microplates. Our plate will be the first HT crystallization plate on the market that is compatible with HT Automation Robotics. Crystallography will soon enjoy screening rates that are comparable to those currently available for High Throughput Drug Screening!