How to book MX mail-in (FX) experiment - Detailed instructions


MX mail-in (FX) experiment: a macromolecular crystallography experiment where ESRF staff carry out the experiment.

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Setting up your experiment

Step 1: Contact the BDO for a quotation for the work to be carried out, then sign and return the quotation.

Step 2: Contact the MX team to obtain an experiment date.

Step 3: Create your account in the ESRF User Portal.  A password will be attributed to you.

Step 4: The BDO will create your experiment number FX-## .  You will keep this number for all your mail-in experiments.

Step 5:  A formal Invitation will be sent to you via email with the details of the experiment (date, beamline, crystallographer name) and how to send your dewar.

Step 6: A second password will be sent to you via email, usually the following day, to access our LIMS system “ISPYB” and to access your data through SFTP (FX-##, SFTP password).

Step 7: Submit a sample safety sheet for each protein you plan to ship to us, using your login (user_name, Portal password).

NOTE: Once you have been through the whole procedure once, further experiments will be much easier regarding the setting up of your experiment since only steps 2 and 6 (only if you ship new proteins) will be necessary.

Preparing and sending your samples

Step 1: Prepare your samples using SPINE standard supports compatible with our sample changers ( more information on sample supports can be found here)

(We can provide you with a kit for your first trial – don’t hesitate to ask for it)

Step 2: Ship your frozen samples in a dewar ( instructions on sending dewars are provided here) with printed labels coming from the ISPYB tracking system (log-in to ISPYB with FX-##, SFTP password)

Step 3: Fill in your dewar form in ISPYB. You’ll receive an automatic email when your samples arrive on site and when they leave the ESRF for your lab.

Following your MXpress experiments and obtaining your data

Step 1: You can follow your experiment through ISPYB if you wish and interact with the crystallographer performing the experiment or wait for your report to be sent to you after the experiment is finished.

Step 2: You can retrieve your data through SFTP using FX-##, SFTP password  as soon as the images are written onto the disk at the ESRF. It is possible to provide you a backup shipped after the experiment.

Step 3.  Inform the MX Industrial Services if you want more data or if you want the dewar to be returned to you.

Summary of systems and log-ins

  • SMIS User Portal : to submit your Application Form, to submit new Sample Sheets – login and password = (user_name, Portal password)

  • ISPYB : to create labels for your shipment and track your dewar along its transport to and from ESRF, to describe your requirements for the experiment (dewar form), to follow the experiment in real time – login and password = (FX-##, SFTP password)

  • NICE account: where your data are stored. It can be accessed through SFTP - login and password = (FX-##, SFTP password)