French NatX-ray G-RobTM - 2D&3D functionalities

List of functionalities

• “2D in situ”, or “2D-IS” (in situ macromolecular crystallography, etc.)
• “2D Laue”, or “2D-L” (wafer orientation, etc.)
• “3D Laue”, or “3D-L” (boule orientation, mono-crystallinity of large crystals, etc.)
• “2D radio”, or “2D-R” (IR, X-ray, neutron in-deep imaging) [under development]
• “3D tomo”, or “3D-T” (tomography on large objects) [under development]

Main features

The robot is used  as a versatile goniometer for the analysis of a large sample or of multiple samples simultaneously present on the same holder, such as:
• Multiples samples on a crystallization tray, or in a micro-chip.

• Large  single  sample  (wafers,  mono-crystal  alloy,  etc.),  with  multiple  points  of analysis.
G-Rob TM positions the point/single sample to be analyzed, and rotates it accurately with respect to a virtual axis, prior to or during exposure to the beam.

Domain of application

• In  situ  macromolecular  crystallography,  directly  in  the  crystallization
trays/microchips.
• Crystal orientation, analyze of mono-crystallinity of large crystals.
• Radiography, tomography.

Detailed features

In situ macromolecular crystallography (“2D in situ”) :
• Manipulation of  crystallization  platesor microchips at  ambient  temperature.  In  this case,  the  plates  are  directly  exposed one  by  one  to  the  X-ray  beam, and crystallography data are collected on each sample, thus enabling  the  scientists  to get  valuable  information  such  as  space  groups,  cell  parameters,  mosaicity,  or verify the presence of specific substrates or heavy atoms, withouthaving to extract the crystals from their crystallization drops.
• Absolute positioning of each well of a tray, based on shape recognition, which provides  a  very  high  positioning  reproducibility.  This  feature,  named  “Crystal Listing”, makes it possible to record a list of crystal positions for automated in situ screening.
• Automated plate/microchip screening with visible light, including taking series of pictures with a microscope, along with X-ray screening or independently from the X-ray screening operation. A direct transfer from the crystallization farm can also be provided.
Orientation/mono-crystallinity of large crystalline samples (“2D Laue”, 3D Laue”):
• Laue diffraction experiment at specific point(s) of a crystalline object, to determine overall or local crystal orientation
• Analysis of crystal default by Laue diffraction, coupled to visible/UV light imaging.

Radiography/tomography(“2D radio”, “3D tomo”):
• X-ray or neutron radiography/tomography for transmission analysis and imaging of large objects.

Advantages

In situ macromolecular crystallography (“2D in situ”) :

• Perform  screening  in  a  matter  of  minutes  (compared  to  the  significant  time required  to  prepare  the  cryo-protectant,  freeze  the  crystal  and  mount  it  manually). With the NatX-rayG-RobTM system, transferring a plate or microchip from the hotel to  the beam  position,  selecting  a  well  and  centering  the beam  on  a  given  crystal  is just a matter of a few clicks.
• Achieve  complete  data  collection  at  room  temperature.  This  is  particularly important for fragile crystals, such as membrane proteins and large complexes. It is also a way to find the target diffraction quality for cryo-protectant optimization.

Orientation/mono-crystallinity of large crystalline samples (“2D Laue”, 3D Laue”):
• Perform multiple measurements in a row without the need for manual handling. Radiography/tomography (“2D radio”, “3D tomo”):

• Handle large/heavy object.
• Present several parts of the same objects into the beam without manual handling.

Specifications

In this category, we include functionalities that require
• High static & dynamic precision.
• Moderate speed.
• Small to large pay-load.

Compatibility

In situ macromolecular crystallography (“2D in situ”) :
• The in situ  functionality  is  designed  for  the  SBS  standard  (ANSI/SBS  1-2004 specification).  We  recommend  the  use  of  the  CrystalQuick TM X  crystallization  plate from Greiner BioOne. This plate was specificallyoptimized for in situ experiments.

• G-RobTM canalso use  any  SBS  format  crystallization  plate or microchip.  Using  a new  plate  or  microchip  just  requires  to  provide  the G-RobTM software  with  a description  file  containing  the  proper  geometry  information  for  the  plate  or microchip

• This functionality can be coupled to the SBS-compatible line of products, including the VB, VB-RodBot, crystallization farm, etc.

Pictures

Left: in-house G-Rob^TM in situ.

Right: “Plate/microchips gripper” tool.

Components

• Specific gripper.
• Hotel or plate/samples storage.
• Electronics, software

see movie at

http://www.natx-ray.com/products/lqgfmrcsil5mn67/G-Rob_2D.mp4