US Patent 7229500 Methods and devices for high throughput crystallization

Crystallization Photoresist (PR) apparatus and methods which allow for fast screening and determination of protein crystallization conditions with small protein quantities and rapid crystallization. The apparatus comprise a first region comprising a first nucleation catalyst material and a second region comprising a second nucleation catalyst material, with the first and second regions positioned adjacent to each other and configured to support at least one crystal, and with the first region having a variation in a nucleation property of the first nucleation catalyst material in the first region. The crystal may be supported at an interface of the adjacent regions. The methods comprise providing a first region of a first nucleation catalyst material and a second region of a second nucleation catalyst material adjacent said first region, with the first region having a variation in a nucleation property of the first nucleation catalyst material, exposing the first and second regions to a solution of a selected molecule, and growing at least one crystal of the molecule in association with the first and second regions.