Patent ID: 8007739

Claim:
A droplet actuator system comprising: a computer processor electronically coupled to a screening droplet actuator; one or more input devices electronically coupled to the computer processor; one or more output devices electronically coupled to the computer processor; and a screening droplet actuator comprising: (a) a port for introduction of one or more crystallization reagents and/or one or more protein solutions; and (b) a substrate in fluid communication with the port, the substrate comprising: (i) an array of two or more mixing wells; and (ii) electric field mediated microfluidics for moving droplets comprising the crystallization reagents and protein solutions into the mixing wells; wherein the droplet actuator comprises: (a) one or more dispensing wells comprising protein solution loaded therein; and (b) one or more dispensing wells comprising crystallization reagents loaded therein; and further wherein the system is programmed to execute steps mediated by electrowetting comprising: (a) dispensing one or more sample droplets from the protein solution from the one or more dispensing wells; (b) transporting one or more of such sample droplets to a mixing well; (c) dispensing one or more reagent droplets from the crystallization reagents from the one or more dispensing wells; (d) transporting one or more of such reagent droplets to at least a portion of the mixing wells to yield an array of wells comprising crystallization droplets, said array representing multiple crystallization conditions; and (e) combining a sample droplet from the protein solution with each crystallization reagent in the mixing wells to potentially yield one or more crystallization droplets comprising one or more crystals.