It is important to determine the structure of globular proteins in order to determine their function. This requires growing high quality crystals from solution, in order to determine the structure via x-ray crystallography. Since the nucleation of crystal nuclei is the crucial step in this process, attention has focused on understanding the initial conditions necessary to obtain optimal nucleation. We will discuss recent work on this topic involving the importance of metastable critical points. We will also discuss the related problem of certain diseases that are related to the anomalous condensation of proteins from solution, including sickle cell anemia and human cataracts.
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