Kenji Uehara, Veeco Instruments

How did Veeco Instruments come into being?

The current Veeco traces its history to an earlier company called Veeco, which was incorporated in 1945 by two Manhattan project scientists who created the helium leak detector. The original Veeco merged with Lambda, a manufacturer of power supplies, and in the late 1980s was purchased by the British firm Unitech.

In 1990, Edward H. Braun and a group of senior company executives purchased Veeco's instrument business from Unitech. The company again used the Veeco Instruments trade name and completed an initial public offering in 1994.

Since then, Mr. Braun has led the company through a transformation focused on supplying process equipment and metrology solutions to information age industries. Veeco has grown both through internal development and strategic acquisitions.

What technologies do you provide for the protein crystallography market?

Veeco has a long history of innovation in imaging, inspection and metrology. We have applied our expertise in high-speed inspection to the challenges of crystal imaging and automated image analysis. Of all the competitors addressing crystal detection, Veeco maintains the largest installed base of inspection systems. We are also the world leaders in atomic force microscopy (AFM), which is employed for crystal structural analysis.

You recently released the Oasis LS3 Protein Crystal Imaging System at the American Crystallographic Association conference in Chicago. Can you tell us about this product?
The Oasis LS3 addresses a critical bottleneck in the protein crystal discovery process by image over 8000 crystal growth “trials” per hour. The third-generation imager detects crystals and precipitates everywhere in the trial droplets, with innovative optics, hardware and software that provide excellent image quality.

In addition to imaging, the LS3 offers optional 'Crystal Detect' analysis software which automatically classifies crystal growth. This accurate, automatic method is a significant achievement that greatly reduces time to discovery.

What are the advantages of this system for protein crystallographers?

Protein crystallization requires reliable screening for crystal growth in tens of thousands of trials. This screening has, to date, been a painstaking manual process, with correspondingly low throughput and arduous conditions.

The Oasis LS3 is the fastest imaging system available, with excellent illumination and auto-focus capabilities that help capture crystal growth throughout droplets. This is quite simply the most advanced crystal imaging system on the market.

The system's superior imaging capabilities make automatic crystal detection possible. Our Crystal Detect software enables screening at throughputs 10-20 times greater than manual methods, and without the subjectivity inherent to manual inspection. Again, Veeco has applied knowledge gained in high-speed defect detection to develop the first reliable, accurate, automated detection and classification system. We’ve included extensive querying and statistical tools that let researchers dig through the data to spot trends and quickly pinpoint the best conditions for crystal growth.

The LS3's small footprint and cartridge-based handling system allow it to integrate easily into multi-user lab and university environments.

Have you had much interest in this system so far?

Our presence at ACA and other events has generated a large number of inquiries, many of which have translated into orders. We have demo capability in North America and Europe, and very soon in the Asia-Pacific region. When our customers get to see the system in person they are surprised by its speed and image quality. It is fun to watch their positive reactions.

Do you have anything in development at the moment for the protein crystallography market?

We are working very hard on the next set of enhancements to the Crystal Detect software. It is a priority for us because we believe it is a huge benefit for crystallographers. We are looking forward to releasing a number of hardware and software improvements based on customer feedback we have received this year.

Further Information: http://www.veeco.com/oasisls3