Fluidigm has introduced the Topaz 1.96 Diffraction Cable (DC) integrated fluidic circuit, designed to sample crystallisation space more broadly while using less protein sample.
The company said the circuit will offer researchers direct screen-to-beam capabilities without the need to physically harvest a crystal from the device.
The Topaz system has long been recognised for providing an efficient screening method - Free Interface Diffusion (FID).
The system samples crystallisation space more broadly while using less protein sample than other products on the market.
It therefore finds protein crystals more efficiently.
These microscopic crystals can hold the key to understanding and possibly preventing diseases of catastrophic proportions, such as influenza epidemics.
Fluidigm's Topaz 1.96 DC chip provides the ability to obtain high-quality, in-situ diffraction data, allowing true 'hands-off' diffraction-based screening.
Diffraction-based screening is made possible because the Fluidigm 1.96 DC chip uses advanced chip-design techniques.
The chip materials and dimensions have been chosen to optimise its performance for in-situ diffraction, allowing the entire chip to be placed directly in the path of an X-ray beam.
If necessary, 'cut-outs' of the chip can be made to fit onto pins, which can be cryopreserved and placed onto standard goniometer heads for data collection.
