Policies and User Fees

Our goal is to provide access to expertise, equipment and technology to facilitate crystallization of biological macromolecules. We are a non-profit organization and our fee structure has been determined to cover the minimum basic operating expenses of the National Crystallization Center, including supplies, routine maintenance, software, and consumables.  NIH NIGMS National Resource funding enables us to provide these crystallization screening services to academic, non-profit, and government laboraties at a reduced price.  Please cite the HTX Center if our services are helpful in finding crystals.  We aim to have very low experimental error in delivery (under 5% and more typically < 1%).


Standard academic and not-for-profit user rates for non-proprietary samples:

  • $400 for set up, imaging and software (billed after the sample has been set up)
    • Make a screening reservation by emailing htslab@hwi.buffalo.edu by the reservation deadline
    • Complete submission form online
    • You get:
      • 1536 microbatch under oil crystallization screening experiments
      • Email notification and immediate access to color images*
        • Cocktail only, day 1, and at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 weeks
      •  Email notification and access to images from a Formulatrix Imager 1000 with SONICC for SHG and UV-TPEF images.*
        • At 4 weeks (23 °C samples) or 6 weeks (4 °C or 14 °C samples)
        • *Actual read time may vary slightly and is dependent on availability of the system
      • Software to view, annotate and analyze images and associated chemical data

Commercial and proprietary users:

Please inquire about using the Crystallization Center by emailing structures@hwi.buffalo.edu for fees and details, or request a quote from us on Science Exchange or scientist.com.

 

Additional fees

We can often accommodate special requirements; however, additional services may involve additional fees. Please contact the HTX Center at htslab@hwi.buffalo.edu for special requests and more details.

Confidentiality

Information about samples received for crystallization screening will not be publicly disclosed without the written consent of the investigator(s).  We maintain strict confidentiality regarding samples submitted to the HTX Center.

Crystallization data and images obtained at the Crystallization Center for academic, non-profit and government laboratories may be used for grant applications to support the scientific research of the center, as well as in publications. Images will be de-identified from sample and user information unless consent has been given. Images for any proprietary samples will only be available to the proprietary user and will not be used for grant applications.

 

Reminder to Acknowledge the National High-Throughput Crystallization Center and Funding Agencies
We are grateful that NIH and NSF funding enables us to provide efficient high-throughput crystallization screening to academic, non-profit and government laboratories at a reduced rate. Please remember to cite the appropriate grant funding for your crystallization screening experiments.
  • For non-SARS-CoV-2 samples, we request that the NIH R24 National Resource grant is acknowledged in any publications. Please note that with the new funding, the NIH grant number is now R24GM141256. We suggest the following language: Crystallization screening at the National Crystallization Center at HWI was supported through NIH grant R24GM141256.
  • For SARS-CoV-2 samples,  NSF RAPID funding was available for users through April 2022. If your lab made use of this funding resource, we request that the NSF grant is acknowledged in any publications. We suggest the following language: Crystallization screening at the National Crystallization Center at HWI was supported through NSF grant 2029943 and NIH grant R24GM141256.

Additionally, it would be helpful if the experimental methods references the Crystallization Center using this reference for the soluble screen:  Luft, J. R., et al. (2003). A deliberate approach to screening for initial crystallization conditions of biological macromolecules. J. Struct. Biol. 142, 170-179. 

For the membrane screen, please cite this reference: Koszelak‐Rosenblum, M., et al. (2009). Determination and application of empirically derived detergent phase boundaries to effectively crystallize membrane proteins. Protein Science, 18(9), 1828-1839.

These citations help us to track publications and PDB depositions, an important metric of productivity that will help secure future funding for the Crystallization Center.

We request that, in the case of the Crystallization Center screening experiments being offered as part of other expert services through crystallization facilities at other institutions, that the Crystallization Center is acknowledged and our website www.getacrystal.com is linked on that facility website.