Getting Started with Oryx

Dear New Oryx user,

Thank you for ordering an Oryx protein crystallization system. Before we visit to install the system, it would be helpful if you could equip yourselves with the following items:

• PC requirements:
  Operating System: Windows 10 or newer
  RAM: 4 GB (recommended)
  Monitor Resolution: 1920 x 1080 (recommended)
  USB Ports: At least one spare USB port available
• About 1.5 meters of bench space. (It is helpful if the bench is quite deep, around 80 cms, although this is not essential.)
• Spare mains electricity sockets: 2 sockets are required for the Oryx system. (extra socket(s) required for control PC and monitor.)
• Protein load strips from ThermoFisher Scientific: "Strips of 8 Low Profile Tubes" catalogue # AB-0771 (Natural). We will supply 240 strips with the machine. Though these look like ordinary PCR strips, they have a particularly low profile which allows the Oryx to reach the bottom to load all protein provided.
• A 12-channel pipette for filling reservoirs, such as Transferpette-12 (20-200µl) by Brand, available from www.brand.de. Alternatively, for faster pipetting we recommend the Liquidator96 or VIAFLO 96. These 96-channel pipetters will dispense to 96 reservoirs in one go.

For microbatch-under-oil experiments you will need:

• Light paraffin oil, silicon oil and Al’s oil (available from Hampton Research.)
• Regular 96-well microlitre plates (around 300 microlitres per well) such as polypropylene 96-well source plates by SigmaAldrich (catalogue # M9685 www.sigmaaldrich.com.)
• Large volume 1 mL tip for oil dispensing. We supply a box of 96 with the machine. This exact model number must be used: Rainin / Metler Toledo catalogue # 30389164 (https://www.shoprainin.com.)

For LCP experiments you will need:

• Lipid such as monoolein for preparing LCP.
• Regular 96-well microlitre plates (around 300 microlitres per well) such as polypropylene 96-well source plates by SigmaAldrich (catalogue # M9685 www.sigmaaldrich.com.)

For Oryx8 optimization experiments:

• A printer or network connection to print XStep experiment designs.
• Large volume 1 mL tip for reservoir solution dispensing. We supply a box of 96 with the machine. This exact model number must be used: Rainin / Metler Toledo catalogue # 30389164 (https://www.shoprainin.com.)

Please prepare some proteins and screening solutions so that we can try out the system during the installation. The ideal format for the screening solutions is a deep-well plate (e.g. Thermofisher catalogue # AB-0932.)

For Oryx8, please also prepare some proteins and buffers etc. for optimization. Note that the protein, precipitants, buffers etc should be as concentrated as possible. (If possible, the protein concentration should be twice that used in vapor diffusion, and the precipitants should be saturated.)