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Updated: May 30, 2026
07:11
Fully Autonomous Characterization and Data Collection from Crystals of Biological Macromolecules
Published on: March 22, 2019
Control system for the 2nd generation Berkeley AutoMounters (BAM2) at GM/CA CAT macromolecular crystallography
O Makarov1, M Hilgart, C Ogata
1GM/CA-CAT, Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA.
Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
|August 9, 2011
Summary
The Advanced Photon Source (APS) upgraded its Berkeley automounter for biological macromolecule crystallography. This enhances sample handling flexibility and supports advanced operations like crystal washing at the 23-BM beamline.
Area of Science:
- Structural Biology
- Biophysics
- X-ray Crystallography
Background:
- The GM/CA CAT facility at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) supports macromolecular structure determination.
- X-ray diffraction is a key technique for determining the 3D structures of biological molecules.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate a second-generation Berkeley automounter into the 23-BM experimental station's beamline control system.
- To enhance the capabilities of the existing automounter for improved sample handling and advanced operations.
Main Methods:
- Replacing pneumatic gripper motions with a combination of pneumatics and XYZ motorized linear stages.
- Integrating the new automounter into the beamline control system at the 23-BM experimental station.
Main Results:
- The upgraded automounter offers increased flexibility with motorized linear stages.
- The new system accommodates larger sample Dewars of arbitrary shapes.
- Advanced operations such as crystal washing are now supported.
Conclusions:
- The integration of the second-generation Berkeley automounter significantly enhances the capabilities of the 23-BM experimental station.
- The upgrade maintains the design's simplicity and efficiency while adding advanced functionalities for macromolecular crystallography.
