The protein crystallisation diagnostics facility: status of the ESA programme on the fundamentals of protein crystal growth

Perfect crystals of biological macromolecules are needed to reveal structur al information necessary for the understanding of their functions. Weightle ssness conditions encountered during orbital space flights have been used f or the past 20 years to grow better and larger crystals. The facilities and instruments used until now to grow crystals in space have primarily focuse d on growing crystals for post-flight analysis, and to a lesser extent on t he understanding of phenomena associated with the crystallisation processes . The Protein Crystallisation Diagnostics Facility (PCDF), a new facility p resently under development at ASTRIUM under a contract of the European Spac e Agency (ESA), will fly on the International Space Station in the 2004-200 6 timeframe. This new instrument will allow for the observation and study o f the crystallisation processes of biological macromolecules over long peri ods in microgravity using advanced diagnostics methods, including video mic roscopy, dynamic light scattering, and Mach-Zehnder interferometry. The Eur opean scientific community is preparing for the utilisation of this new ins trument. This paper presents the actual status of the main design features of the PCDF and addresses the scientific preparation programme. (C) 2001 El sevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.