Monday 4 October 2010

Microplate mover for perifusion system

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc today announced it has been selected by Biorep Technologies Inc to provide the Thermo Scientific Orbitor RS microplate mover for incorporation into its new Perifusion system.

The Orbitor RS, launched this year at LabAutomation, has been developed using proven technology from the well-known Thermo Scientific RapidStak and Thermo Scientific Dimension4 product lines. The Orbitor RS, which is now being used as a partner to the Perifusion system, is unmatched in its reliability, flexibility and speed, delivering a plate in as little as four seconds.

The Orbitor RS has exceptional reliability due to its advanced collision and plate sensing technologies that ensure process disruptions are minimized. “Our collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific is already proving highly successful. They’ve provided us with easy to implement software tools, which have enabled us to quickly and effortlessly integrate the Orbitor RS with our Perifusion system, making it an ideal lab automation partner product,” said Felipe Echeverri, Head of Engineering at Biorep Technologies.

The Biorep Technologies Perifusion System has proven to be a valuable tool for the in vitro stimulation of pancreatic islets, and subsequent collection of the secretions. As such, the system was recently recognized with the ‘Humanitarian Application of the Year’ award at the National Instruments Graphical System Design Achievement Awards Ceremony. Selected for its entry titled ‘Bringing Automation to Cell Secretion Analysis,’ the honor recognized the Perifusion System’s significant improvements to throughput and repeatability.

This technology can also be readily adapted to different cell types. Among other factors, the Perifusion System can accurately control sample collection for up to 12 channels in parallel, using pre-programmed protocols and requiring several sample trays. It is vitally important for users to efficiently change and move these plates within the system, and the reliability of the Orbitor RS ensures that peace of mind.

“We are very pleased that Biorep Technologies has chosen the Orbitor RS for use with its new Perifusion system. The flexibility of the Orbitor RS makes it suitable for a variety of instrument loading requirements and this endorsement from Biorep Technologies further supports this,” said Hansjoerg Haas, Director Marketing and Systems Integration for Lab Automation at Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Biorep Technologies worked with VI Design Group to integrate LabVIEW, a National Instruments’ software language into the new Perifusion System, to provide the overall control system design. The Orbitor RS was incorporated as an ideal solution for the tray handling portion of the system, and its easy-to-use software with clear .NET framework libraries has enabled fast and seamless integration into the overall LabVIEW-based control system. Together, these companies have enabled Biorep Technologies to save significant costs and effectively streamline system development.

Thermo Fisher Scientific