Non-Invasive Optical Technology for Automated Protein Crystal Analysis

Photon-X, Inc.

Huntsville, AL

Photon-X's Spatial Phase Imaging technology can monitor, in real time, the growth of crystals. This includes quickly scanning for flaws and the ability to produce a 3D structured image of the crystal that shows volumetric growth analysis for future automated growth.

• Spatial Phase Imaging can measure the characteristics of each crystal, measure the 3D volumetric properties of the crystal, and discriminate between salt and protein crystals.
• Photon-X has successfully demonstrated the ability to fully automate the crystal growth process with a new innovative vision system.

• The target market includes pharmaceutical companies as well as laboratories at the academic, commercial, structural, and governmental level.
• This new technology is highly desirable to anyone that routinely sets up hundreds or thousands of crystallization experiments on a daily basis. Spatial Phase Imaging is more cost effective then X-ray analysis and can inspect protein crystals more quickly.
• Photon-X has used this innovative Spatial Phase technology to develop commercial 3D cameras for various machine vision and automated 3D vision systems.

• Spatial Phase Imaging is applicable to NASA and MSFC's study of protein crystals in space (such as its Dynamically Controlled Protein Crystal Growth (DCPCG)).
• Spatial Phase Imaging can be used to monitor crystal growth then implement closed-loop processing to develop the "perfect" crystal.

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