Abstract: A robot is described for automatically performing microfluidic experiments that are often complex and repetitive. The robot includes a system for initiating the communication of off-chip fluids, such as fluorocarbons, and off-chip materials, such as proteins. The communication of off-chip fluids and off-chip materials is further guided to a microfluidics device vis-à-vis a Z-head robot, an XY plane robot, and an interface assembly that creates a fluid-tight joint for communicating the off-chip fluids and off-chip materials into the microfluidics device for conduction of microfluidics experiments.

Abstract: A nanovolume microcapillary crystallization system allows nanoliter-volume screening of crystallization conditions in a crystal card that allows crystals to either be removed for traditional cryoprotection or in situ X-ray diffraction studies on protein crystals that grow within. The system integrates formulation of crystallization cocktails with preparation of the crystallization experiments. The system allows the researcher to select either gradient screening in crystallization experiments for efficient exploration of crystallization phase space or a combination of sparse matrix with gradient screening to execute one comprehensive hybrid crystallization trial.

Abstract: The present invention provides computer-implementable systems and methods for generating images of crystals. The systems each include (a) a light source; (b) a rotatable first polarizing material; (c) a rotatable second polarizing material; (d) a light-capturing device; and (e) a software program executable on the computer-implementable system for analyzing electrical signals from the light-capturing device.

Abstract: The present invention provides computer-implementable systems and methods for generating images of crystals. The systems each include (a) a light source; (b) a rotatable first polarizing material; (c) a rotatable second polarizing material; (d) a light-capturing device; and (e) a software program executable on the computer-implementable system for analyzing electrical signals from the light-capturing device.