Cryo bio-crystallography

Cryo crystallography enables X-ray data collection at cryogenic temperatures, typically 100K.

• Crystals are transferred from the solution they have grown in (called mother liquor) to a solution with a cryo-protectant to prevent ice formation.
• Crystals are mounted with a glass fiber (as opposed to a capillary)
• Crystals are cooled by dipping directly into liquid nitrogen and then placed in a cryo cold stream.
• Cryo cooled macromolecular crystals show reduced radiation damage by more than 70 times that at room temperature.

• Significant improvement of resolution in data collection
• Reduced or eliminated radiation damage in crystals

Crystallography of large biological macromolecules can be achieved while maintaining their solution state. The most known example is the ribosome.[1]

• Ada Yonath