Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Crystal Shifter for?
Crystal Shifter is trusted by leading crystallography labs worldwide, including research laboratories at top Pharmaceutical, Biotech, Synchrotron beamline, and Academic organizations. It is a complete platform for crystallography (protein structure determination, fragment-based drug discovery) workflows, designed to accelerate workflows in labs of all sizes.
How can I purchase a Crystal Shifter instrument?
Crystal Shifter instruments are sold only directly by Oxford Lab Technologies. We do not work with external distributors or representatives. Some companies may claim to sell or represent Crystal Shifter, but these claims are not legitimate. Buying directly from us ensures authentic products and full technical support. Contact us to discuss your requirements and request a quote.
Is there a research paper evaluating benefits of Crystal Shifter?
Wright et al. (2019) published a study on the benefits of using Crystal Shifter. They found that Crystal Shifter significantly improved the efficiency of crystallography workflows, reduced the time spent on manual tasks, and increased the number of structures solved, while maintaining or improving diffraction quality.
Read more at
Wright, et al (2021): "The low-cost Shifter microscope stage transforms the speed and robustness of protein crystal harvesting"
https://doi.org/10.1107/S2059798320014114Is Crystal Shifter hardware or software?
Crystal Shifter is more than just hardware. It is driven by a cutting-edge suite of software applications that cover common workflows in a crystallography lab. All experiment data is recorded and integrated across popular equipment and beamlines. Designed by crystallographers for crystallographers, the software has been tested in labs globally.
How does Crystal Shifter integrate with other solutions?
Crystal Shifter integrates with popular instruments and solutions such as imagers, dispensers, beamline software, foot and hand controllers, barcode readers, and cameras. It can also be customized to integrate with your lab's specific equipment or software. Contact us
Where can OLT deliver the Crystal Shifter instrument?
OLT can deliver and provide services globally. Crystal Shifter instruments are used worldwide.
What microscopes are supported? Can you provide a microscope?
Most popular brands and models of microscopes used in crystallography are supported. OLT can also provide a compatible microscope for your lab, along with a suggested configuration.
What maintenance is required for Crystal Shifter instruments?
Once set up to your needs, Crystal Shifter requires minimal maintenance. OLT offers hardware maintenance and extended warranty plans.
What should I know before considering the purchase of a Crystal Shifter instrument?
We recommend arranging a product demo or talking to one of our customers to better understand its capabilities.
What else will I need to operate Crystal Shifter?
Crystal Shifter is designed for use with a touch-screen PC and a microscope. Additional components like a microscope camera for imaging or a barcode reader for workflow automation can be provided upon request. Contact us
Crystal Shifter integrates with popular lab instruments such as imagers, databases, dispensers, foot and hand controllers, barcode readers, and cameras.
Contact us to learn how Crystal Shifter can accelerate your workflow and discuss your specific requirements.
Can OLT provide a compatible PC computer?
Crystal Shifter is designed for use with a touch-screen PC and a microscope. OLT can supply a compatible touch-screen PC on request.
Can I use Crystal Shifter for imaging hanging drop plates?
Yes, Crystal Shifter can image both sitting and hanging drop plates, provided you have a compatible microscope camera.
Can I use Crystal Shifter for soaking?
Yes, Crystal Shifter has protocols to assist or drive manual and automated soaking of samples.
What plates can I use with Crystal Shifter?
Crystal Shifter is designed for 96 well 3-drop midi plates but supports all popular crystallographic sitting drop plate formats of similar dimensions. Contact us to discuss your exact requirements.
Can Crystal Shifter handle hanging drop plates?
While typically used for sitting drop applications, Crystal Shifter can also accommodate hanging drop plates with NexTal 15 drop guards.
Can I use different plate types at the same time?
Yes, Crystal Shifter operates two plates simultaneously, allowing you to use different plate types, such as MRC3 and MRC2. This can be particularly useful for operations such as manual soaking or sample distribution from one plate type to another.
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