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High-throughput crystallography has reached a level of automation where complete computer-assisted robotic crystallization pipelines are capable of cocktail preparation, crystallization plate setup, and inspection and interpretation of results. While mounting of crystal pins, data collection and structure solution are highly automated, crystal harvesting and cryocooling remain formidable challenges towards full automation. To address the final frontier in achieving fully automated high-throughput crystallography, the prototype of an anthropomorphic six-axis universal micromanipulation robot (UMR) has been designed and tested; this UMR is capable of operator-assisted harvesting and cryoquenching of protein crystals as small as 10 microm from a variety of 96-well plates. The UMR is equipped with a versatile tool exchanger providing full operational flexibility. Trypsin crystals harvested and cryoquenched using the UMR have yielded a 1.5 A structure demonstrating the feasibility of robotic protein crystal harvesting.

High-throughput crystallography has reached a level of automation where complete computer-assisted robotic crystallization pipelines are capable of cocktail preparation, crystallization plate setup, and inspection and interpretation of results. While mounting of crystal pins, data collection and structure solution are highly automated, crystal harvesting and cryocooling remain formidable challenges towards full automation. To address the final frontier in achieving fully automated high-throughput crystallography, the prototype of an anthropomorphic six-axis universal micromanipulation robot (UMR) has been designed and tested; this UMR is capable of operator-assisted harvesting and cryoquenching of protein crystals as small as 10 microm from a variety of 96-well plates. The UMR is equipped with a versatile tool exchanger providing full operational flexibility. Trypsin crystals harvested and cryoquenched using the UMR have yielded a 1.5 A structure demonstrating the feasibility of robotic protein crystal harvesting.

Bone adhesives offer distinct advantages over the use of screws to attached internal fixation plates (IFPs). As the chemical composition of bone is similar to dentine, it is possible that the types of monomers used to make dentine adhesives could be utilised to affix IFPs to bone. The ability to attach a bio-resorbable IFP to porcine bone was assessed for the monomer 10-methacryloyloxydecyl dihydrogen phosphate (MDP), used either as a homopolymer or a copolymer with urethane dimethacrylate (MDP + U). Additionally, the addition of a priming step (MDP + U + P) was evaluated. The chemical interactions of the monomers with bone were assessed using XRD and imaged using TEM, revealing the formation of nano-layered structures with the MDP primer, something we believe has not been reported on bone. In a 6-week artificial aging study both MDP + U and MDP + U + P demonstrated adequate shear bond strength to affix bio-resorbable IFPs. The cytotoxicity profiles of the adhesive formulations were determined using indirect and direct contact with MC3T3 cells, with indirect conditions suggesting the MDP + U + P is as cytocompatible as the resorbable IFP. The findings of this study suggest our newly developed adhesive has the potential to be used as a bone adhesive to affix bioresorbable IFPs.