A deliberate approach to screening for initial crystallization conditions of biological macromolecules
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Updated: Sep 26, 2026

High-Throughput Screening to Obtain Crystal Hits for Protein Crystallography
Published on: March 10, 2023
Joseph R Luft1, Robert J Collins, Nancy A Fehrman
1The Hauptman-Woodward Institute, 73 High Street, Buffalo, New York 14203, USA. detitta@hwi.buffalo.edu <detitta@hwi.buffalo.edu>
Abstract:
A method to rationally predict crystallization conditions for a previously uncrystallized macromolecule has not yet been developed. One way around this problem is to determine initial crystallization conditions by casting a wide net, surveying a large number of chemical and physical conditions to locate crystallization leads. A facility that executes the rapid survey of crystallization lead conditions is described in detail. Results and guidelines for the initial screening of crystallization conditions, applicable to both manual and robotic setups, are discussed.
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