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Updated: Mar 26, 2026

On-Chip Crystallization and Large-Scale Serial Diffraction at Room Temperature
Published on: March 11, 2022
Radiation damage in a micron-sized protein crystal studied via reciprocal space mapping and Bragg coherent
H D Coughlan, C Darmanin1, N W Phillips
1Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Advanced Molecular Imaging, Department of Chemistry and Physics, La Trobe University , Melbourne 3086, Australia.
Abstract:
For laboratory and synchrotron based X-ray sources, radiation damage has posed a significant barrier to obtaining high-resolution structural data from biological macromolecules. The problem is particularly acute for micron-sized crystals where the weaker signal often necessitates the use of higher intensity beams to obtain the relevant data. Here, we employ a combination of techniques, including Bragg coherent diffractive imaging to characterise the radiation induced damage in a micron-sized protein crystal over time. The approach we adopt here could help screen for potential protein crystal candidates for measurement at X-ray free election laser sources.
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