In the summer of 2015, we installed our first laboratory system dedicated to high throughput protein solution investigations, for Dr. Marino’s Biomolecular Structure and Function Group at the Material Measurement Laboratory at NIST, Maryland. They already had a well functioning rotating anode (Rigaku 007HF) that they wanted us to incorporate in the instrument.

Due to the nature of the measurement lab, the customer wanted to ensure that the system at a later point could be used also for high-end material studies and so we proposed a hybrid system between the GANESHA system and the the Bio-Nordic:

Part GANESHA

From the GANESHA, we took the large chamber with the very flexible and mobile detector, beam stop and intensity measuring pin-diodes that would allow the users to probe structures from 3 to 2000 A, obtaining scattering curves in absolute units.

Part Bio-Nordic

saxs-uvvis-dls1From the Bio-Nordic we took the very powerful and compact Bio-Cube and the pipetting robot (the “Wizard”)

At NIST, the Bio-Cube allows

  • introduction of the sample either manually or by robot
  • temperature stabilization of the liquid from 4-50°C
  • auto-visual control of the liquid plug (5-20 microliter)
  • small-angle scattering in the range from 0.002 to 0.8Å
  • UV-Vis analysis providing the liquid concentration while measuring

BioNordicCloseupAt NIST, the pipetting robot (the Wizard) allows

  • pipetting from 1-4 x 96 well plates
  • temperature control of all the well plates
  • automated delivery of the liquid into the Bio-Cube
  • automated rinsing, cleaning and drying of the sample area in the Bio-cube
  • changing tips at any time to avoid contamination

Installation and commissioning

Installation yielded the first measurements at the end of August 2015, yielding excellent quality data on proteins with Rg 15 to 20 Å. Final installation and training is due to take place in September 2015