Protein crystal processing using a deep-UV laser

We propose a new protein crystal processing technique, pulsed UV laser soft ablation (PULSA). This is the first report on the successful processing of protein crystals using an optical light source without causing significant damage to the crystal. Photoablation without thermal degradation of the protein crystal structure was achieved using deep-UV laser pulses at a wavelength of 193 nm. The PULSA technique did not affect the quality of the crystals used for X-ray data collection. Moreover, complicated and precise processing of protein crystals, which is difficult using conventional mechanical tools, has been achieved using PULSA. This technique will undoubtedly be a powerful tool for processing protein crystals.