Crystallisation Screens

The Facility has a stock of 21 commercial crystallisation screens ready for use with the Mosquito liquid handling robot.  In addition, we can create custom screens to optimise initial hits using the Dragonfly liquid handling robot.

Many screens overlap in chemical space so it is not necessary to try all 21, although sometimes that may be necessary with difficult projects. A good place to start would be to set up 6-8 of the following screens to cover the most chemical space with the least protein.

• ICL4 – Index (Hampton Research): A comprehensive, general-purpose screen with a wide variety of salts, buffers, and precipitants, making it a great foundation for diverse exploration.

• ICL7 – PACT premier (Molecular Dimensions): Focuses on pH, anions, and cations, systematically exploring buffer and salt conditions, providing excellent diversity in this area.

• ICL3N – PEG/Ion 1 and 2 (Hampton Research): Covers different molecular weight PEGs and a wide range of salts, offering distinct coverage for PEG-based precipitants.

• ICL8 – JCSG+ (Molecular Dimensions): Designed for high-throughput crystallization, covering a broad spectrum of chemical components like salts, polymers, and organics, providing extensive diversity for soluble proteins.

• ICL13 – Morpheus (Molecular Dimensions): Uses combinations of salts, small molecules, and cryoprotectants, which give access to unique chemical environments not found in typical screens.

• ICL0 – Structure Screens 1 and 2 (Molecular Dimensions): A broad initial screen with a wide variety of conditions, ideal for general-purpose crystallization, exploring a diverse range of chemical space.

• ICL5 – SaltRx 1 and 2 (Hampton Research): Focuses on salt-based conditions, which offers a distinct complement to PEG-based and polymer-based screens. This screen is ideal for sampling various salt conditions for crystallization.

• ICL14 – PGA screen (Molecular Dimensions): This screen uses polyglutamic acids (PGAs) as precipitants, targeting protein-protein interactions and complexes, offering unique chemical space coverage.

For  crystallisation of membrane proteins we have several membrane protein specific crystallisation screens available. 

• ICL9 - MemGold 1: A mix of salts, PEGs, and other precipitants, optimized for screening membrane proteins. Designed to facilitate the crystallization of membrane proteins, which typically require detergents and specific precipitants for stability.
• ICL18 - MemGold 2:  Builds on MemGold 1 by expanding the range of PEGs, salts, and buffers, offering more diverse conditions for membrane protein crystallization. Focuses on optimizing conditions for the crystallization of membrane proteins, offering a broader chemical space than MemGold 1.
• ICL19 - MemMeso:  Specifically designed for in meso crystallization, utilizing lipidic cubic phase (LCP) environments. Targets membrane proteins by mimicking their natural lipid bilayer environment, which is crucial for maintaining the protein’s functional conformation.
• ICL20 MemTrans:  Similar to MemMeso but optimized for the crystallization of transporter proteins. Aimed at membrane-bound transporters, which often require specialized lipid and detergent conditions to maintain their structure during crystallization.
• ICL21 - MemChannel: Focuses on conditions conducive to the crystallization of ion channels and other membrane channels, incorporating specific detergents and lipids. Developed for membrane channels, which have unique requirements due to their structure and the need for maintaining functional conformations in the lipid bilayer.
• Detergent Screen: A collection of detergents to screen which ones best stabilize membrane proteins for crystallization. 

If there is a screen you are looking to use but is not currently available from the facility please contact the facility manager who can purchase it or help you dispense your solution into plates. Custom screens can also be purchased from Molecular Dimensions and dispensed in the facility. 

A list of all screen compositions can be found in the binder next to the Mosquito. 

Charging structure

We operate on a cost recovery basis (charges for Imperial users).  The prices charged for the plates include the use of the Mosquito. Detergent, Additive screens and preparation of a four-corners optimization screens cost extra. We are happy to provide plates to external users.  Please contact the facility manager for details.