Labcyte Introduces Echo 520 Liquid Handler for Medium Throughput Laboratories

10 Jan 2008

Labcyte today announced the introduction of the latest member of its acoustic dispensing family, the Echo® 520 liquid handler, which was developed for the medium-throughput laboratory. The 520 system provides high accuracy and precision transfers of a wide variety of solutions at an appropriate price for the laboratory that needs to transfer as many as 100,000 solutions per day. Like other Labcyte Echo liquid handlers, the Echo 520 improves data quality by avoiding loss of sample by adsorption onto tips and intermediate plates. This system uses the same acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) technology that has enabled the leading pharmaceutical companies to reduce the volume of their assays while obtaining more reliable data. The rapid ejection of 2.5 nL droplets facilitates the use of 96-, 384-, 1536- and 3456-well assay plates.

“The Echo 520 liquid handler will bring our ADE technology to a wider number of users,” said CEO, Dr. Elaine J. Heron. “This new addition to the product line provides the best-in-the-industry precision and accuracy at a lower price. The Echo 520 is fully compatible with Labcyte software for cherry picking and setting up flexible dose-response assay plates. It, like the 550 and 555 systems, is immediately and fully compatible with lab automation.

“This new product makes the advantages of ADE accessible to the laboratory which could not afford and did not need the high throughput of our 550 and 555 systems. And these laboratories can feel comfortable knowing that if their throughput needs increase, they can upgrade the 520 to higher throughput versions,” said Heron.

As the leader in acoustic droplet ejection, Labcyte offers direct support in North America, Europe and Japan for the Echo 520 and our other systems. Additionally, the Labcyte software for cherry picking and flexible dose-response assays optimally exploits the many advantages of precise low nanoliter liquid transfer. Like other Labcyte systems, the Echo 520 can be used to transfer a wide variety of common aqueous buffers used in protein and nucleic acid assays, as well as DMSO for drug compound management and screening.

Echo® 550 Liquid Handler

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences

Imagine preparing assay plates for siRNA screening, compound screening with biochemical and cell-based assays, PCR reactions and more all on a single liquid handling platform, with no tips and no cross-contamination. Labcyte has developed new acoustic droplet ejection (ADE) parameters that deliver built-in intelligence to enable users to transfer many different fluid types from a single instrument. All Echo systems come pre-calibrated so that you can switch among different fluid types with just a click of the mouse. No further adjustment is required for you to be productive immediately. These developments combine the latest discoveries in wavelength, power and timing requirements for ADE with real-time fluid measurement at multiple points during a run. The resulting algorithms solve some of the most significant liquid handling challenges with volatile, low-surface tension and/or meniscus-shifting fluids. Volumetric accuracy and precision for all fluids tested so far—including buffers, nucleic acid and protein solutions, surfactants, serum and cell culture media—are comparable to established performance with DMSO. The Echo® 550 liquid handler introduced the world to acoustic droplet ejection (ADE). This award-winning instrument remains the proven choice for low-volume liquid handling in leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies worldwide. Like the Echo 520 and Echo 555 liquid handlers, the Echo 550 uses "touchless" ADE transfer technology. ADE uses sound energy to transfer 2.5 nL droplets from Echo-qualified 384- and 1536-well source plates into 96-, 384-, 1536- and 3456-well destination plates. This unique touchless technology eliminates consumable tip costs, washing, and cross-contamination. Unsurpassed volumetric precision (≤ 8% CV) and accuracy (≤ 10% CV) ensure superior results. Independent studies have shown that Echo liquid handlers eliminate false negatives due to sample loss on tip surfaces in low-concentration transfers. Like the Echo 555 liquid handler, the Echo 550 liquid handler reports both fluid volume and DMSO hydration. Applications: Compound management Compound screening siRNA screening Biochemical assays Cell-based assays PCR Genotyping Gene expression

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Echo® 555 Liquid Handler

Beckman Coulter Life Sciences

Echo® 555 liquid handler - the world's fastest acoustic dispensing platform for life science applications. The Echo® 555 liquid handler is the world’s fastest acoustic liquid handling platform for life science applications. Laboratories that demand very high throughput rely upon the Echo 555 liquid handler for round-the-clock trouble-free operation to enable the fastest discovery.The Echo 555 doubles the throughput of the Echo 550 and provides transfers from as many as 660,000 wells per day. Like the Echo 520 and Echo 550 liquid handlers, the Echo 555 uses "touchless" ADE transfer technology. ADE uses sound energy to transfer 2.5 nL droplets from Echo-qualified 384- and 1536-well source plates into 96-, 384-, 1536- and 3456-well destination plates.This unique touchless technology eliminates consumable tip costs, washing, and cross-contamination. Unsurpassed volumetric precision (≤ 8% CV) and accuracy (≤ 10% CV) ensure superior results. Independent studies have shown that Echo liquid handlers eliminate false negatives due to sample loss on tip surfaces in low-concentration transfers. Like the Echo 550 liquid handler, the Echo 555 liquid handler reports both fluid volume and DMSO hydration.Echo® 555 Liquid Handler Features: Tipless transfer, resulting in dramatic cost savings Accurate, precise movement of nanoliter-scale quantities, enabling assay miniaturization and further reducing costs Elimination of cross-contamination, carryover or leachates Better results through direct dilution of compounds, an improvement over serial dilution methods Improved information about sample integrity and improved transfer quality through measurement of DMSO hydration level Applications: Compound management Compound screening siRNA screening Biochemical assays Cell-based assays PCR Genotyping Gene expression

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Labcyte Introduces Echo 520 Liquid Handler for Medium Throughput Laboratories