Study of DLS Monitoring of the Growth of Protein Crystals

A report describes an experimental study of whether an advanced fiber-optic dynamic-light-scattering (DLS) probe affords a capability for noncontact detection of particles of various sizes associated with the stages of growth of protein crystals in automated hanging-drop protein-growth apparatuses. [A related previous report was described in "DLS Sizing of Particles in Hanging Liquid Drops" (LEW-16515),NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 21, No. 12 (December 1997), page 98.] The DLS probe used in this study was a modified version of the one described in "Compact, Noncontact Fiber-Optic Probe for Diagnosis of Eye Diseases" (LEW-16429), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 22, No. 2 (February 1998), page 82, and was augmented with a miniature microscope for viewing protein crystals.