Sample management system for a vast amount of frozen crystals at SPring-8

The RIKEN Structural Genomics Beamlines at SPring-8 have been constructed for high-throughput protein crystallography. Beamline operation is automated, cooperating with the sample management system developed along with the beamline facilities. The system consists of a database of a large number of sample crystals, and sample handling robots, named SPACE (SPring-8 Precise Automatic Cryo-sample Exchanger), at the beamline and the laboratory. The system has been working reliably during the commissioning of the automatic beamline operation, started in October 2003.