Equipment and Technologies

Our facility is equipped with a comprehensive suite of modern instruments supporting the full pipeline—from protein expression and purification to crystallography, biophysical characterization, and advanced structural determination:

Protein Expression & Cell Culture

  • Eppendorf S41i CO₂ Shaker Incubators (x2) — optimized for suspension CHO, HEK-293, Sf9, and Tni cell expression.
  • Infors HT Incubators (x2) — enable large-scale insect and mammalian cell culture (up to 20 L).

Protein Purification & Sample Preparation

  • Bio-Rad NGC Chromatography Systems (x2) — configured with multiple columns for affinity, ion-exchange, SEC, and polishing workflows.
  • TTP Labtech Mosquito Nanoliter Pipetting Robot — precision low-volume crystallization setup and screening.
  • Matrix Hydra DT — high-throughput 96-well liquid handling for assay and crystallization plate preparation.

X-ray Crystallography

  • Rigaku Micromax-007 X-ray Generator
  • R-Axis HTC Detector
  • Osmic VariMax HF Confocal Optics
  • X-Stream 2000 Cryogenic System — enabling data collection at 100K.
  • Leica Z6 Stereo Microscope with Polarizer
  • Two Olympus Microscopes — for crystal inspection, imaging, and documentation.
  • Two Temperature-Controlled Incubators (4°C – 25°C) — for crystallization screens and optimization.
  • Spot Flex 15.2 (64 MP) Shifting Pixel Digital Camera
  • Art Robbins Cryscam — automated high-throughput crystallization plate imaging.

Biophysical and Analytical Characterization

  • Refeyn Two-MP Mass Photometer — rapid, low-sample mass measurement and oligomerization assessment.
  • MicroCal ITC — thermodynamic and binding interaction analysis.
  • Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) and Multi-Angle Light Scattering (MALS)
  • NanoTemper Tycho — thermal stability profiling and buffer optimization.
  • Bio-Rad CFX Connect qPCR System — supporting thermal shift assays and melt-curve analysis.
  • Peak Scientific Nitrogen Generator — uninterrupted high-purity nitrogen supply.

Advanced Structural Biology Through Collaborative Cryo-EM

In addition to our on-site capabilities, we collaborate closely with Harvard Medical School, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston University Cryo-EM facilities to provide access to high-resolution structure determination by cryo-electron microscopy. These partnerships allow investigators to pursue single-particle analysis, tomography, and complex molecular assemblies—supported by expert guidance from our facility throughout sample preparation, grid optimization, data collection, and model building.