Table of Contents

Sciences

Protein Crystal Growth Mission Support Centre

he Protein Crystal Growth Mission Support Centre has been operational since the fall of 2000 at the John H. Chapman Space Centre in Longueuil, Quebec. It is equipped for basic manipulation of protein samples. During the course of the CAPE mission, the centre served 15 research groups from the Canadian science community in protein crystallization experiments. Its facilities were used to prepare for the STS-107 mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia. Five groups of Canadian researchers participated, and the knowledge acquired will help prepare the centre for future missions.

The laboratory’s mandate is to enhance the success rate for future PCG scientific experiments conducted by the CSA. It will serve as a "hub" for PCG activities in terms of:

• hardware evaluation and testing 
   
• development of procedures and protocols 
   
• required Earth-based controls for missions 
   
• loading/unloading flight simulations and actual operations 
   
• flight simulations to produce control materials on Earth and eliminate those that are unsuitable

To ensure good control conditions on Earth, CSA must be able to provide the following elements to the science community:

• Earth-based units and support for the evaluation of crystal growth conditions
   
• Standardized practices and protocols for loading and recovery of fluids
   
• An evaluation method for new hardware and new space-based crystal growth techniques
   
• A detailed characterization of loading and recovery and the experimental environment as well as the effects of these variables on the success of crystal growth
   
• A state of continuous preparation for loading and recovery of samples during missions

The support centre will provide thesepcg services to those participating in the CSA’s PCG program. All proteins to be sent on a possible mission will be examined to determine favourable conditions for crystal growth. No protein will be sent up unless satisfactory results have first been achieved on Earth using the same hardware and the same parameters as for the space facilities. This procedure will ensure a significant improvement in the success rate.

The centre will coordinate and carry out sample loading and recovery activities during missions and will also perform complete mission simulations. It will provide a well-controlled environment to ensure the requisite quality level (facilities and procedures) for space missions to be conducted under the best possible conditions on Earth.