High-throughput biomolecular crystallization and biomolecular crystal screening

摘要

The present invention provides a method for the acoustic ejection of fluid droplets from fluid-containing reservoirs to form small volumes high throughput combinatorial experimentation for crystallization. The method is especially suited to preparing combinatorial libraries of small volume crystallization experiments for crystallizing difficult to crystallize biomacromolecules. The small volumes conserve costly and difficult to obtain macromolecules and permit an increased number of experimental crystallization conditions tested for an amount of the biomacromolecule of interest for crystallization. The time required for the experiments is greatly reduced by the scaled down experimental volumes. The invention is conducive to forming high density microarrays of small volume crystallization experiments. Acoustic detection of crystals in situ and distinction between biomacromolecular and non-biomacromolecular crystals is also taught.