High-Throughput Crystallization Screening Center

Our Expertise – Your Results

The High-Throughput Crystallization Screening Center performs crystal-growth screening experiments in 1,536-well microassay plates for both soluble and membrane biological macromolecules. You send the sample, we do the rest.

Crystallization Center Announcements:

March 2020 (updated 03/21/2020)

Update: The first week of the March screening run proceeded as scheduled, and samples that were received are set up and imaging.

If you have an experimental sample running, the plates are being imaged, but the imaging may be slightly off schedule.  Please email us at htslab@hwi.buffalo.edu if you are having any issues with your images.

The remaining March run has been canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions!  Please do not send your sample until we have resumed normal operations. We will hold your reservation and set up your sample at a future point. We know how valuable your sample and your research is and will resume normal operations as soon as we are able.

We are in limited operation for screening related to COVID-19 samples (as per New York State and Department of Homeland Security stipulations regarding research critical to COVID-19 response). Please email sbowman@hwi.buffalo.edu for information regarding these options.

Stay healthy!

March 2020 Standard Soluble and Membrane Screen

The rest of the run has been canceled.

  • We will post more information about upcoming screening runs as soon as we can plan for things. 

Click ‘Get a Crystal‘ for details.

New Formulatrix Rock Imager has been installed!
  • The new Rock Imager for imaging low temperature experiments  is up and running!

How It Works:

From February 2000, the laboratory has been used to set up over 24 million crystallization experiments on >16,000 biological macromolecules. Nearly 2,000 laboratories worldwide have used and benefited from the service.

Ele from Formulatrix unpacking the new Rock Imager!

Almost set up!

New Rock Imager in action!

Imaging one of our 1,536 plates!
  • At the HTCSC 1,536 different chemical conditions are sampled representing many of the commercially available crystallization screens. Each condition is imaged visually over a period of six weeks. Second Order Non-linear Imaging of Chiral Crystals (SONICC) and UV Two Photon Excited Fluorescence (UV-TPEF) imaging of crystallization screening also take place to identify biological crystals not picked up visually or those obscured by precipitate.
  • Color images, and SONICC and UV-TPEF images are integrated with the analysis software provided as part of the service. Lead crystallization conditions can be identified and the complete set of results used to analyze the samples solubility phase diagram.
  • Current list of crystallization cocktails.

HTCSC Policies and User Fees

Commercial users please inquire about using the HTCSC by emailing sbowman@hwi.buffalo.edu or check us out on Science Exchange or scientist.com.

New at HWI Crystallization Center!

We are on Twitter! 

MacroscopeJ and Catalina macOS

MacroscopeJ for macOS is a 32 bit app and, starting with Catalina, no longer supported by macOS.

We are currently working on a new release which will be fully supported on Catalina.

If you have upgraded to Catalina and need MacroscopeJ immediately to view your images, please contact us at htslab@hwi.buffalo.edu to get access to the beta version of MacroscopeJ that is compatible with Catalina.

Accessing your images via the ftp server.

  • Because of recent changes for both Mac and Windows OS, we recommend using FileZilla to access and transfer images from the ftp server, as it works across platforms.
  • For more details: Analyze Your Results

Online submission form

In May 2018 we started using an online submission form.

  • To make a reservation, please email htslab@hwi.buffalo.edu by the reservation deadline (see above for current dates) to reserve a space in the queue.  Include the following information in your reservation email:
  1. User name and contact information
  2. PI/Institution name and contact information
  3. Number of samples you will be sending, as well as approximate date you will be shipping the sample(s)
  • You will receive an email confirmation from us for your reservation.  Once your sample is ready to ship, please fill out the online submission form including payment information.