Method for generating an artificially patterned substrate for stimulating the crystallation of a biomolecule thereon and method for stimulating the crystallization of biomolecules
AssigneePaul Scherrer Institut
InventorsCelestino Padeste, Christian Kambach, Jens Grobrecht, Harun Solak
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Abstract
It is the aim of the invention to provide a technology for the stimulation of the crystallization of biomolecules contained in a liquid solution that leads to significant improvements in the reliability of crystal growth processes and shortens the time and the number of attempts to grow a certain biomolecule crystal, also under the condition that only very small amounts of the biomolecules are available.
Claims28
A method for generating an artificially patterned substrate for stimulating crystallization of a biomolecule, comprising:
- treating a basic substrate for providing an artificially patterned substrate, wherein said basic substrate has a surface;
- arranging a grating at a predetermined distance to said surface and in a plane substantially parallel to said surface, the grating having a characteristic selected to generate a pattern of linear wells across said surface, wherein the pattern of linear wells has a gradient with respect to a pattern periodicity along a length and a width of said surface, and wherein the linear wells intersect;
- exposing the substrate through the grating to X-ray radiation to generate a gradiential artificially patterned substrate having said gradient;
- and
- performing said exposing according to X-ray interference lithography technology.
A method for stimulating the crystallization of biomolecules from a liquid solution containing said biomolecules, comprising:
- providing a gradiential artificially patterned substrate having a pattern of liner wells extending across a surface of said substrate, wherein the pattern of linear wells has a gradient with respect to a pattern periodicity along a length and a width of said surface, and wherein the linear wells intersect;
- and
- bringing said gradiential artificially patterned substrate into contact with said liquid solution for initiating the crystallization of said biomolecules on the artificially patterned substrate.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.