A novel sample delivery system based on circular motion for in situ serial synchrotron crystallography

Area of Science:

• Crystallography
• Biophysics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Sample delivery is a critical bottleneck in serial crystallography.
• Existing methods primarily use linear motion for sample delivery.
• Improving sample delivery performance and efficiency is an ongoing challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a novel microfluidic rotating-target device for serial crystallography.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of using circular motion for sample delivery in crystallography.
• To assess the device's performance at a synchrotron radiation facility.

Main Methods:

• Design of a microfluidic rotating-target sample delivery device with a microfluidic sample plate and motion control system.
• Implementation of circular motion for sample delivery.
• In situ serial crystallography experiments using lysozyme and proteinase K at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility.

Main Results:

• The microfluidic rotating-target device demonstrated a wide adjustable delivery speed range, low background noise, and low sample consumption.
• The device is fully compatible with synchrotron radiation facilities.
• Successful protein structure determination was achieved using data from the device.

Conclusions:

• Circular motion is a viable and effective alternative for sample delivery in serial crystallography.
• The microfluidic rotating-target device offers significant advantages for serial crystallography applications.
• This novel approach enhances the efficiency and performance of serial crystallography experiments.