2008 Annual Meeting
(405b) Phase Diagram Visualization Via Continuously-Fed Crystallization: Experiments and Model
A continuous-feed crystallization chamber is manufactured to allow phase diagram visualization to predict the phase diagram of a protein in a single experiment. This microfluidic system allows the experimenter to screen a large range of salt and protein concentrations by controlling the convection and diffusion of both protein and salt. A continuous-feed crystallization chamber has been successfully fabricated and characterized in terms of its flow profile. The protein and salt concentration profiles are determined using a computational model. Experimental results determine locations where crystals form and in combination allow determination of the phase diagram. This device has successfully predicted the well-known phase diagram for tetragonal lysozyme and has been utilized on triclinic lysozyme, a protein crystal for which the full phase diagram is unknown.