The Beamline Core of the iHuman Institute at ShanghaiTech University is dedicated to research in the fields of life sciences and chemistry, with a focus on high-throughput, high-precision three-dimensional structure determination of biological macromolecules and small-molecule single crystals. The beamline operates over an energy range of 5–25 keV. At the sample position, the minimum beam size reaches 1 × 0.5 μm², enabling diffraction data collection from microcrystals with radii smaller than 5 μm.
For protein crystallography—particularly micron-sized membrane protein crystals—the Core provides a comprehensive suite of experimental methodologies, including microfocus single-crystal diffraction, multi-wavelength and single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (MAD/SAD), and high-precision data collection based on shutterless mode and fine φ-slicing. With continued development, these methodologies have been extended to support diffraction studies of small-molecule microcrystals as well as powder materials under high-pressure conditions.
The experimental station is equipped with four key instruments. Among them, an ARINAX MD3-UP high-precision single-crystal diffractometer provides a sphere of confusion (SOC) better than 0.1 μm, enabling highly accurate rotational control. The system supports low-dose data collection in shutterless mode and is particularly well suited for radiation-sensitive samples.
ARINAX MD3-UP diffractometer
High pressure smaple table，using 6-axis DOF motion platform，provide experimental methods for single-point diffraction, planar scanning diffraction, and sample rotation diffraction.
HP sample table
A DECTRIS EIGER2 X 16M area detector, featuring a pixel size of 75×75 μm2, an active area of 311.2 mm×327.8 mm, and a maximum frame rate of 133 Hz, provides high dynamic range and low noise performance, enabling fast data acquisition with high signal-to-noise ratio and high spatial resolution.
EIGER 2X 16M area Detector
An IRELEC ISARA automated sample changer is equipped, capable of accommodating up to 29 Uni-Pucks (a total of 464 crystals), with a loading speed of up to 40 samples per hour, thereby significantly enhancing the efficiency of high-throughput crystal screening and data collection.
ISARA automated sample changer