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Updated: Jun 15, 2026
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Microcrystallography of Protein Crystals and In Cellulo Diffraction
Published on: July 21, 2017
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1 kHz fixed-target serial crystallography using a multilayer monochromator and an integrating pixel detector
A Tolstikova1,2, M Levantino3, O Yefanov1
1Center for Free Electron Laser Science, DESY, Notkestrasse 85, 22607 Hamburg, Germany.
Iucrj
|October 3, 2019
Summary
This study introduces fixed-target serial crystallography (SX) using a new detector to overcome sample delivery and beam time limitations. High-quality diffraction datasets can now be collected rapidly, significantly improving efficiency in structural biology research.
Area of Science:
- Structural Biology
- Crystallography
- Synchrotron Radiation
Background:
- Serial crystallography (SX) faces challenges with sample delivery and efficient use of synchrotron beam time.
- Developing faster data collection methods is crucial for advancing structural biology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance data collection rates and efficiency in serial crystallography.
- To address bottlenecks in sample delivery and beam time utilization for SX.
Main Methods:
- Implementation of fixed-target serial crystallography (SX).
- Utilization of a high-intensity polychromatic X-ray beam.
- Employment of a newly developed charge-integrating JUNGFRAU detector for data acquisition.
Main Results:
- Achieved data collection rates of 1 kHz at a synchrotron-radiation facility.
- Demonstrated that approximately 3,000 diffraction patterns suffice for a high-quality dataset.
- Recorded a complete dataset in under 30 seconds with indexing rates up to 25%.
Conclusions:
- The developed fixed-target SX method significantly accelerates data collection.
- This advancement offers a more efficient approach to obtaining high-quality diffraction datasets.
- The findings pave the way for overcoming key limitations in serial crystallography research.
