For Scienion, 2003 began with success: the launch of the company's Sciware division; the presentation of the Sciflexarrayer; and the first orders for the Piezo-Spotter
For Eckhard Nordhoff, director for research and development of Scienion's array hardware division, these successes are the reward for intensive work over the past weeks: "With the Sciflexarrayer we can position ourselves as a supplier of hardware for microarrays in great demand.
"This is our way of reacting to our customers' wishes for a highly flexible, modularly constructed and extremely precise solution for the efficient manufacture of biochips in small batches in their own laboratories.
"The many inquiries for our Piezo-Spotter also emphasises the hardware's quality".
This development by Scienion is a modular, versatile and flexible dispensing system for microarray experiments.
The centerpiece of the Sciflexarrayer is the Piezo-Spotter, a sort of modified miniature inkjet printer.
The test liquid is stored in up to eight glass capillaries from which it is "shot" onto the blank chip in droplets of precisely defined size, frequency and speed.
Nordhoff outlines a few advantages of the technology: "Extremely low sample volumes, a fast method of working, with sample transfer not only contact free, but also highly reproducible and highly accurate".
With a smallest administrated amount of as little as 65picoliter, the spotter facilitates efficient use of the often quite valuable test substance.
The complex software Scienion has developed for the planning and design of the chip experiments ensures exact and accurate delivery of the liquid as well as an optimum dispensing rate to the chip of up to 1500 shots per second.
The free flight of the droplets means that the liquid can be delivered in small cavities, and the non-contact procedure prevents contamination of both the sample and the chip surface.
"The Sciflexarrayer is more than a pipetting robot," declares Eckhard Nordhoff.
"An instrument has been created which supports a wide range of analytical applications".
In addition to biological, water-based solutions, the exact dosing of various organic substances is also ensured.
A computer-aided, miniaturised microscope mounted on the dispenser head monitors the experiment in progress.
This guarantees high efficiency in the use of the reagents as well as savings in time and costs for the user.
Dispensation and parameter control are adapted to the individual work stations and specific needs of the customer.
The dispensation tool with a monitoring unit can be screwed on to a modular axis system and linked directly to other parts of the Sciflexarrayer as a complete benchtop solution.
