Major milestone for Diamond’s MX automation

Originally deployed at speed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the UDC system was first brought online in June 2020 on the I03 beamline to ensure continuity of user access during lockdown. Its success quickly led to expansion to I04 and later to I04-1, where it replaced a previous automated system that had supported fragment screening for the XChem facility. 

In the five years since its deployment, UDC has handled more than 33,900 sample pucks - each holding up to 16 crystals - across nearly 6,000 user visits on the three beamlines. This milestone not only highlights the robustness of the system but also the increasing reliance on automation in structural biology research. 

UDC has significantly enhanced the user experience at Diamond, complementing both the automated room-temperature data collection available at the VMXi beamline and more bespoke, user-driven experiments performed on-site or remotely at other MX beamlines. Its design draws on years of automation development within the MX group and has benefited from continuous refinement in hardware, software, and business systems. 

Importantly, the success of UDC represents more than a technological milestone. It reflects Diamond’s broader commitment to enabling cutting-edge science, regardless of global challenges, and ensuring researchers, both academic and industrial, have the tools they need to accelerate discovery. 

As Hall noted, “UDC is not static. It continues to evolve through ongoing innovation and feedback from our user community. We’re excited to see where the next half a million samples take us.” 

Diamond extends its sincere thanks to the many scientists, engineers, software developers, and support team staff who have contributed to the UDC system's development, operation, and continued evolution.